Last Sacrifice
by SierraSlidehiney
Summary: This is just one of the many ways I think Last Sacrifice could go. I can't wait for the book to come out and so I thought I would write one of the possibilities. Enjoy, and please comment/review, I would love to hear feedback.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone, I've become so inspired by some of the stories I've read on this site that I decided to try my hand at it. I hope you like it and please please please review/leave comments. Thanks **

**Chapter 1**

Sitting alone in a cell all day is a sure fire way of going stir crazy, something I was experiencing down in the dank underground holding cells of Guardian HQ. I'd been down there two long days, yet it felt like months, with no way of passing the time but the thoughts in my own head. And Lissa's, but I was trying not to go there.

She kept sending me messages through the bond which I was desperately trying to keep closed, to no avail. _Don't worry Rose. We won't let anything happen to you Rose. _Etc.

As much as I wanted to trust what she said I couldn't. I knew she meant the words, our bond would instantly shed light on any untruths she tried to pass on, but I just couldn't. My situation was near hopeless and I knew it.

My grim attitude wasn't helped by the fact I had no protection down here from spirits side effects. I had been stripped of everything but the clothes on my back upon entering and so any charmed objects I held to keep the darkness at bay had been confiscated. I felt the anger and frustration I was actually feeling being amplified by spirits instability and I knew that this added with the solitary confinement was going to drive me insane a lot faster than the average prisoner.

But then again who was I kidding; I'd be executed within days from what I had picked up from Abe, conversations Lissa had been in and eavesdropping on my Guardian prison wardens. They wanted my trial resolved quickly and the Queens murderer executed as soon as possible to boost morale. Remembering this only added more worry and frustration to my already over flowing mind.

'I'M INNOCENT DAMN IT!' I had taken to yelling angry protests randomly, sometimes while pacing, but the cell was small and I became easily agitated when not able to fully stride out purposefully as the act of pacing requires. Instead I sat against the wall or pounded my fists on the bars, like a caged animal. It could be seen as degrading, but I'd never been one to sit back and do nothing.

Pacing also allowed me to appreciate the cell, for this was not just any cell. This was the cell Dimitri had sat in night after night, although under decidedly different circumstances, we'd both been considered dangerous and there was some small comfort in knowing we shared something. There was an even bigger comfort in knowing he'd been here, touched these walls, and slept on this bed.

Sleeping on that bed it wasn't hard to imagine Dimitri's arms circled around me, whispering comfortingly in Russian in my ear as I drifted off to sleep. In any other situation this would be dangerous territory, but knowing my life may soon come to an end had changed my perspective. Dimitri may not love me the way he once had, or the way I loved him, but I could still remember a time when he had. A time when I'd been truly happy. What harm could it do now that I was all but sentenced to death.

I had no idea what time it was, windowless cells will have that effect, but I figured my drooping eyes signalled I should try and get some sleep before another busy day of counting ceiling cracks and planning doomed attempts at escape.

Because yes, I did have plans to escape, or prove my innocence, not sure which was the more viable option or in fact if either option had any chance for success. But I knew one thing for certain; Rose Hathaway would not go down without a fight.

Some sort of kerfuffle at the door leading upstairs caught my attention as I started climbing into the bed which was either made of lumps of soft rock, or had become so mouldy over the years that it now resembled a cobble stone road. I peered into the dark corridor, lit only by a few dim and often flickering lights.

'You don't have the authority.' I heard a guardian speak who I'd come to recognise as being not exactly the quickest thinker. 'Does he?' I could see the guardians profile now as he turned to one of his colleagues, one of six guardians that were stationed by my cell.

'Not likely, he isn't even a guardian anymore.' The second guardian who I believed to be called Jasper or similar replied, an unsure note quivered in his voice but his face was full of mocking. I made a mental note to kick him if I ever got out of there, hard. I also realised who they were talking about and my heart leaped before I slammed it down. We'd both made our choice.

'Let him in, she can't do much with all of us here watching now can she?' A third guardian and the most superior I assumed by the way he addressed the slow guardian and his pal Jasper. He was also a friend of Dimitri's whom I recognised as one who had found all the questioning of the newly Dhampir Dimitri outside the church that day pointless and amusing. I liked him.

Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee must have recognised the authority of Dimitri's friend at that point because they stepped aside (with some mumbling from the first guardian, very unprofessional). Dimitri then walked in, past the other three silent guardians and strode over to my cell, closely followed by none other than Christian Ozera, now this was turning out to be an interesting visit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'I'm fairly sure you shouldn't be here' I said in a lazy voice, my words were directed at Dimitri though I didn't meet his eyes. 'And I sure as hell know you shouldn't be' I glared at Christian, he was already looked down upon for being weird/dangerous/anti-social. It wouldn't be helping his case, or mine probably, for him to be cavorting with an ex strigoi and a reckless guardian in jail for treason. I spared a moment to wonder where Dimitri's guardians were before approaching the bars of my cell and the unusual pairing on the other side.

'Rose, nice to see you're still your old self.' Christian rolled his eyes before motioning with his head that I should come closer. He glanced down at his watch before whispering 'Check the bond' out of the corner of his mouth. I blinked at him in confusion for a split second before Lissa's voice sounded in my head; I hadn't even needed to slip into her mind.

_Rose, we have a plan ok. Christians wearing a spirit infused ring to make him look like one of Dimitri's guardians, that's how they both got in. You should be able to see it's him with your high tolerance for compulsion. Anyway, they have a charmed ring for you so that you won't go so mental down there before we break you out._

My face must have looked as astonished as I felt because Christian smirked, Dimitri's face remained stoic as usual and he walked silently towards the wall and stood against it as if he were merely the messenger delivering Christian to me. He probably was just down here as a favour to Lissa, his saviour. An all too familiar resentment built up against my best friend before her words snapped me back to attention. _Rose, you'd better be paying attention here or this won't work. Dimitri doesn't know what we're planning so don't say anything now but be ready ok. You'll know when it's time. _With that she made a mental signing off note and my thoughts were once again my own.

'I believe you have something for me Ozera?' I sighed, impatience masking my true feelings of fear, unease, excitement and relief. Christian took a thin silver ring from his pocket and slipped it through the bars cautiously so as not to alert my guardians. As soon as I slipped the ring on my negative emotions faded measurably. I hadn't noticed the heavy weight in my chest before it disappeared and relief must have spread across my features because Christian leaned as close to me as he could before speaking. 'Sit tight Rose, we're coming to get you.'

With a wink from Christian and not so much as a backward glance from Dimitri they turned and left. I slumped on my cot and pretended I was asleep, wondering how long I was going to have to wait before their plan was set into motion.

I must have drifted off after a few hours of waiting and a familiar setting appeared before my eyes, we were in my room at Court and it looked just as I had left it, bed unmade, clothes that needed to be washed piled on the floor and Adrian lying on my bed.

'Rose' he spoke in almost a whisper, stood and kissed my forehead whilst wrapping his arms protectively around me. 'Are you ok?' his eyes roamed all over my body, looking for any sign of mistreatment by the guardians. 'Ahh, I see you got Lissa's present' he lifted my hand to look at the ring Christian had delivered to my cell. I took this to mean that he also knew about the break out plan. 'So you're in on this then?' I said, my arms wrapping around his waist and breathing in his familiar scent. 'The jail break I mean'. He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head before answering 'Little Dhampir, it was my idea'. I tried to hide the astounded look off my face to no avail. 'Don't look so shocked, I _have_ been to college. I'm not just a pretty face'. I laughed aloud then, happy to have something to smile about finally. Adrian may have been to college but he hadn't graduated. Just then I felt a drop of water land on my nose, then another on my cheek. I looked up surprised and saw a huge water patch growing on the ceiling. 'It's time to wake up Little Dhampir, we're getting you out.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I awoke with a start to find water pooling around the bed, sprouting from the walls and dripping from the ceiling. 'What's going on?' I yelled at the Guardians who were huddled together speaking rapidly in hushed voices. I was about to ask if they were going to leave me here to drown, in my patented Rose Hathaway sarcasm. The water was only ankle deep and the flow of water seemed to be slowing even the short time that I'd been awake. Just then the ceiling over where the guardians were conducting their little powwow gave way and water cascaded from the ceiling like a tidal wave, then the wall to the right of my cot seemed to explode with water, it hit me in the face knocking me backwards and soaking me through. In a way it was a blessing, I hadn't been able to properly wash in days.

'THE PIPES ARE BURSTING ASS HOLES!' I yelled as I struggled to keep my feet firmly on the ground, that water was strong. 'Shut it Hathaway' one of my guardians yelled as he waded over to my cell. 'Turn around and put your hands through the bars.' He handcuffed me behind my back before opening my cell and dragging me ass backwards into the corridor. The water was almost chest deep on me now and I was being dragged more than guided towards the door. As we got out of the door the stairs that lead out to the main guardian building were slick with water running down so fast that the steps underneath were barely visible.

We finally made it to the landing when a huge wall of heat hit us, I could almost feel my face burning even though the cause of the heat was unidentifiable. Still handcuffed and walking backwards we rounded a corner and the cause was at last visible. A huge wall of fire was between my guardian and me and the wall. It seemes as though there had been a problem with the pipes while they were trying to put out the raging fire wating away at the now vacant desks filing cabinets. The guardian found an opening and we finally made our way outside to a waiting crowd.

Medical professionals swarmed around injured guardians as a crowd was being kept back in a futile attempt by guardians who didn't seem to have been affected. I noticed Lissa on the edge of the crowd, she was stood maybe three feet away from me, and the guardian holding my handcuffs was also looking at her, but with a slack look on his face. I recognised his facial expression just as he unlocked my cuffed hands and dropped them. Lissa rushed forward and slipped another ring on my finger before pulling me around the edge of the building. No one seemed to be watching me, so I didn't hesitate to follow; they were all watching as water and fire in equal measures burst out of the guardian building. It was at that point that I put two and two together.

Christian and Mia were crouched down next to the side of the building both with wide smiles on their faces. I grinned back before Lissa began hurrying us along. She handed me a bundle of clothes which I recognised as my formal black and white guardian wear. I managed to hastily throw it on, slightly confused as to how this was supposed to disguise me when Lissa explained the ring she'd slipped on my finger made me look blonde, blue eyed and pale with an abundance of freckles.

After a lot of hiding and running we reached the front gate. It was full sun I realised and the Moroi were starting to get a little sluggish but somehow we made it with Mia in front, me hot on her heels and Lissa bringing up the rear with Christian. A black escalade was sat with the windows rolled down and someone was hanging out of the window chatting to the Guardians on duty. I recognised immediately that it was Adrian, his perfectly mussed hair gleaming in the sunlight. The guardians all had the same slack look on their face as the one who had handcuffed me earlier. It was mighty handy having a best friend and a boyfriend who were aces at compulsion.

We all slipped into the car, me keeping my head down just in case and Lissa giving an extra burst of compulsion to help Adrian out as we drove through the gates slowly at first before Adrian really put his foot down. I felt Lissa's body next to mine relax, my head was still down, and Christian, from the seat furthest back, let out a low whistle.

'You need to turn left in about five minutes, and slow down, we're trying not to attract attention' My head shot up, as soon as my ears caught the Russian accent coming from the front seat. Sat next to Adrian, and holding a map, was Dimitri.


	4. Chapter 4

Eventually I managed to close my mouth and notice the tension in the car. Everyone was waiting for my reaction I realised; they all knew that I thought Dimitri hadn't been in on the whole jail break plan. I realised after another moment that they weren't just waiting to see what my reaction was, they were waiting for some sort of hissy fit. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction though, and I certainly wouldn't hurt Adrian again, I had chosen him.

Through the bond I felt Lissa's thoughts turn apologetic, she reached over to squeeze my hand but I pulled it away, shaking off any irritation that showed on my face. When it came to Dimitri Lissa was the last person I wanted to comfort me right now.

'So, what's the plan?' I prayed to God there was a plan, especially if Adrian was the brains behind the operation. He was definitely an act now, think never kind of guy. No one said anything for a few minutes and I began to grow uneasy. No one answered and my uneasiness grew, had they really broken me out of prison on some half assed whim?

We drove for hours it seemed and eventually I drifted off against the window feeling more comfortable than I had in days. When I woke up and wriggled back against the seat I felt something rub against the inside of my shirt, reaching in I felt Queen Tatiana's note which I'd hidden in my bra, lest the guardians confiscate that too. I looked at the clock and saw we'd been driving for six hours straight, as if reading my mind, as it so often seemed he could, Dimitri piped up once again. 'We're going to need to stop for gas soon. There's a gas station up here, slow down and take that exit.' He indicated for Adrian to take the next turnoff and in response Adrian's hands gripped the wheel even tighter causing us to swerve slightly. I could only imagine how awful it was having my ex-boyfriend not only back from the undead but being a total backseat driver.

'Snacks' I said to no one in particular, 'we need snacks. And we should probably use the bathroom if we're going much further'. Christian made a noise of agreement for the last part before Dimitri cut him off; he was already acting like the supervising teacher on a field trip. 'We can't all go gallivanting around, Mia and Adrian fill up the tank and then pay for the gas. Lissa, go with them and get food, water, whatever else we might need. I'll stand watch outside. Rose and Christian go use the bathroom but hurry up. We'll meet back in the car in no less than three minutes. They're bound to have realised Rose has escaped by now.' We pulled into the gas station just as he finished talking and Christian and I almost bowled each other over darting for the one unisex bathroom available.

After relieving ourselves Christian and I made it back to the car before the rest of the group. Dimitri was standing outside the gas stationI had managed to slip out of my guardian get up and into some fresh jeans and a t-shirt that Lissa had thought to pack along with some more clean clothes for me. As I had swiftly changed outfits I again noticed the Queen's note, I retrieved it now from its new place in my back pocket and handed it to Christian. This information was to be entrusted to as few as possible, and I knew that Christian was someone I could trust implicitly. He cared about Lissa as much as I did, not to mention he was basically me in male Moroi form. I would need him on bored for this.

'What's this?' He asked raising an eyebrow. I motioned for him to open it. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively before unfolding the note and reading silently. As he read I filled him in on what Sydney had told me of the bank account in Las Vegas that Lissa's father had been depositing money into for years before his death. He looked taken aback but he nodded and I hoped he understood the connection I had only just made myself. He must have read the words carefully at least three times before the rest of the group joined us back in the Escalade and Christian slipped the note back to me.

'Ok, so where to?' Adrian asked us all, or all of us except Dimitri I assumed. Dimitri's head spun around to look at him, his face slightly shocked, apparently I wasn't the only one who had been under the impression Adrian had some long term plan, and by long term I meant spanning more than a few hours.

Before anyone could answer Christian and I spoke in unison. 'Las Vegas'. Lissa looked confused, and I couldn't blame her? Why on earth would we go back there after the last time? I knew then that Christian had made the mental leap that I had only hours before upon rediscovering the Queens note. The revelation from Sydney and the note from the Queen were connected. Eric Dragomir had a love child in Las Vegas, and that was where we were headed.


	5. Chapter 5

'Las Vegas again? You do realise that every single Moroi and Dhampir in America is on the lookout for you right now. I mean, I'm up for gambling more than anyone and even I can see that is a terrible idea.' Adrian spoke quickly, and more than he had in the eight hours we'd been on the road. Just then a beep sounded out and everyone jumped to attention for a reason unbeknownst to me. Adrian reached into his pocket to retrieve the culprit of the now incessant beeping.

'Cell phones are easily traceable Adrian!' I almost squealed as I saw what he had pulled from his pocket.

'It's not a cell it's a beeper.' He said exasperated. I scoffed, a beeper? Wow this operation was even less promising than I thought. It hadn't even left the nineties. 'Cell phones are easily traceable you're right Rose, that's why we have the beeper. Who's going to think to keep tabs on a pager?' I lost the incredulous attitude, he was right. 'But who on earth are you contacting anyway? We're all here and accounted for.' Just as I spoke I knew it to be untrue, Eddie wasn't here. 'Eddie?' I asked, knowing the answer to be yes. 'No.' My face must have turned confused again because Lissa spoke this time. 'We didn't ask Eddie to come, after last time...' She didn't need to finish, I knew what she meant. I'd already risked Eddie's future too much, and this time there would be no bouncing back if we were caught. 'Who keeps paging you then?' I asked Adrian. He started to turn his head to look at me before Dimitri glared at him 'Eyes on the road.' Dimitri growled; his Russian accent thick with disapproval. I had the funny feeling Adrian was trying hard not poke his tongue out at him.

'Abe' Mia said quietly, almost inaudibly. I wasn't sure if she'd said so much as two words the entire trip. At first I thought she meant she'd seen Abe, although where I did not know. I couldn't stop myself from peering out the window before I realised that Abe was the one contacting Adrian. 'What the hell? Abe is in on this too!' I was almost screaming and I felt Lissa tense up next to me. She had known all along I felt through the bond. _Please calm down Rose, we'll explain everything. _I was still feeling that slightly irrational resentment towards Lissa, in no small part due to Dimitri's proximity I guessed, the way he kept turning around to make sure she was ok irked me no end not least because every time our eyes met I felt my heart swell up.

'Abe and I were the ones who orchestrated this whole plan' Adrian said smugly, I knew he took great pride in being liked by my father, and being in on one of his plans must have only fanned that particular fire. 'He's not at court?' I asked calming slightly. If anyone was capable of pulling off a successful jail break it was Abe Mazur but I was sure someone would be keeping tabs on him if he were still at Court, on the off chance he'd contact me. Lissa shook her head, and I realised that my lack of recognition towards her had wounded her slightly. I hadn't really been up for chatting but a quick check of the bond told me she'd been hurting for more than just the past two days. She felt as if she'd wronged me because of Dimitri's new affection for her, and the fact he wanted nothing to do with me. Yet she couldn't abandon Dimitri, he needed her. With that I did my best to block the bond out. After all I'd done for her time and time again, how she could not see that she was breaking my heart right along with Dimitri was beyond my comprehension. It occurred to me then that I couldn't be around Dimitri for the rest of my life if he were going to ignore me, and if we got caught that could end up being sooner rather than later. I somehow had to convince Dimitri to leave, or, I had to leave Lissa and Christian behind, because as much as I hated to admit it Lissa had become the reason for any sort of protective fire within Dimitri, she had taken my place as the centre of his world, and dealing with that for as long as I lived was too much of a price to pay for staying on the run with Lissa.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone, thanks so much for the comments people have left, I'm so happy you're enjoying the story so far! Please please please leave more comments and reviews, they've died off a bit and I dont want to keep writing if no one is going to read my story. **

**Thanks heaps, and enjoy. Believe me, it's going to start getting more exciting after this chapter. **

After another forty five minutes of endless tarmac Adrian slowed down and pulled over. Standing by a white minibus was Abe Mazur, flanked by two of his flunkies, and wearing a fedora. He should have looked ridiculous but I could tell everyone else found him even more menacing. He strode over and gave me a kiss on the forehead before addressing the group. 'Glad to see you all got out alive, where are you off to?' Adrian started to say Las Vegas but I managed to shut him up with a swift kick to the shins. 'We're not sure yet, nowhere in particular.' He eyed me wearily, sure I was lying no doubt. What can I say; I'm definitely my father's daughter, and if anyone knew how to lie, break laws and remain unfound it was _Zmey._

Dimitri then cleared his throat and everyone, except Adrian of course, turned to listen to him. 'We should get moving, we don't want to attract attention.' His voice was respectful as he addressed Abe, but Abe was not a man easily impressed and he barely acknowledged Dimitri's words before turning back to me. It seemed someone, perhaps my mother, though I wasn't sure if she knew completely about mine and Dimirti's past relationship, had told Abe of my broken heart.

'Rose, I don't want you to worry; I have people working around the clock to prove your innocence.' I rolled my eyes but grudgingly admitted to myself that if anyone could do this Abe could. Our relationship was still in its early stages but I knew I could trust him, he was my father, and despite our unorthodox relationship I knew he loved me. 'Ok old man, don't start getting sentimental, we'll be fine.' It was his turn to roll his eyes then and I smiled before I felt a tap on my left shoulder. Dimitri was looking at me expectantly and I realised he was still waiting to set off once more, grudgingly I agreed that it wasn't safe for us to be stood out in the open suspiciously like this, plus it was beginning to get dark, the last thing we needed was a Strigoi attack, I didn't even have a stake handy.

'Well _Zmey_ as nice as this has been we'd better get going.' I gave him a small wave and expected everyone to turn back to the Escalade. Instead they stood looking expectantly at Abe and his minions. 'Guys?' I said, already sick of not calling the shots in what was turning out to be a slightly slap dash kind of rescue mission. I looked at Adrian, reluctant to acknowledge his authority here. 'You didn't think we were just meeting here for a chat did you Rose?' Abe asked. 'We're switching cars with you so that you won't be so easily found. There will be CCTV of you leaving Court in that car.' I sighed, admitting he had a point. Adrian looked so joyful I thought he was about to wet himself, this had obviously his idea also.

We said our goodbyes and piled into the minivan, I was about to call shotgun when I saw who was taking the driver's seat for this leg of the journey. No way did I want to be sat next to Dimitri for god knows how many hours. I was even more annoyed when, after I had slipped into the back with Adrian Lissa took the passenger seat. Adrian took my hand, giving it a squeeze and I rearranged my features to hide the jealous look that had appeared on my face. The last thing I wanted right now was to hurt Adrian more than I already had.

Dimitri's driving was noticeably more cautious than Adrians, something I knew Lissa was thankful for. The bond had let me know how on edge she was every time Adrian took a corner. After another hour of driving, and with the snacks having been demolished with not so much as a crumb left over, thanks mostly to Christian and myself, we pulled into a motel car park. With hardly any luggage between us it didn't take us long to get checked in and up room we had just paid for with a hefty cash deposit. Adrian knew as well as I did how easily traceable credit cards were and so it seemed did Abe, he'd left a suitcase full of cash, fake ID's and credit cards under multiple names on the passenger seat of the minivan. In my eyes that made the whole thing more legit and I felt myself slowly feeling more secure.

The 'suite' as it was advertised included a room with a double and single bed, a double fold out couch, kitchenette and bathroom. I knew Dimitri, like me, was relieved that one room would be enough. As guardians we knew that one room for all of us was easier to defend should the need arise. That didn't mean I was happy about being stuck in a room with Dimitri for at least eight hours while everyone else was sleeping.

Lissa and Christian took the double bed and Mia slept on the single which left Adrian with the fold out couch. The awkwardness of the situation can barely be described. Here I was in a room with the love of my life who no longer loved me while my best friend who was now the light of the aforementioned ex-boyfriends life slept in the next room, and I was expected to sleep with my new boyfriend, on a fold out couch while my ex-boyfriend sat across the room in an arm chair with no where to look but straight at us. Not to mention the fact that Adrian was feeling particularly affectionate no doubt due to my recent release from jail, and the fact that he had co-orchestrated the whole affair with my mobster father whom he had some sort of man crush on.

The need for sleep eventually won out over my urge to stay alert in order to better protect my friends and also the urge to stare at Dimitri who was reading one of his old western paperbacks. I felt the familiar feeling of an Adrian dream settle around me, it was set this time in a bedroom I had never before seen, the king sized bed situated centrally was the most inviting thing I'd ever seen, Adrian was sat on the edge of it, his trademark lazy grin showed he was happy to see me.

'Er, you're lying right next to me.' I said, unsure of the need for this dream. He merely took my hand and pulled me onto the bed next to him. 'Yes, but can we really talk with Belikov staring a hole right through you in the waking world? No.' I began to argue that point but Adrian interrupted. 'You may be trying not to look at him, yes Little Dhampir I know that you're trying, and I love you for it, but he isn't trying. You may not see it but I do, every chance he gets he stares at you, he's staring at you right now. And I'll tell you something, he hates me as much as I hate him, if not more.' I didn't want to talk about Dimitri, especially not to Adrian, I was still bitter.

We kissed for a while, but before I was able to ask Adrian anything in relation to my escape, or what his plan was now, he ended the dream, himself drifting off to sleep I assumed and left me to my own dreams. That was until I was woken up by what felt like someone sticking a sharp stick in my upper arm.


	7. Chapter 7

**Please review. It would mean the world to me. My story is really coming together now and I am so excited to write what happens next that I've putting off so much stuff just to keep writing. **

I shot out of bed, knocking back my attacker whilst doing so, and jumped into a protective stance in front of Adrian's sleeping body. I deduced that the area was strigoi free, there was no telltale nausea, plus it seemed the person who had prodded me was no other than Christian Ozera. I put my hands on my hips and glared at him while he got to his feet, Dimitri was watching us with an amused look on his face, something I hadn't seen in a while and it broke my heart that little bit more. Seeing Dimitri becoming his old self again, and knowing that we could never go back to being the way we were was making this even harder.

'I told him that would happen' his soft voice was quiet, so as not to wake the sleeping Moroi. Not that this whole whispered exchange could have woken Adrian, he slept like the dead.  
I turned back to Christian and waved my hand, inviting him to explain. He scowled, most likely embarrassed at being knocked over so easily.

'We need to talk, now.' I nodded and led the way out into the hotel corridor, Dimitri started to say something cautionary before he caught himself, I was capable of protecting Christian and he knew it. Hell, against a strigoi Christian was capable of protecting himself, and the two of us as a team, well, I wouldn't want to run into us in a dark alley. If we ever got out of this god awful situation it'd be open season on strigoi as far as we were concerned.

After a quick check of the area I leaned back against the wall and Christian began. 'Ok, so, who else knows?' He was excited and scared which made his words rush together. 'As far as I know just the two of us.' He nodded and seemed to ponder on that for a while; I began to wonder as well, if there was anyone else we could trust with this. As if reading my mind Christian answered my own question with the name that had just popped into my head. 'We have to tell Lissa. But I don't know who else. I mean, Mia's great, but how well can we trust her? And I know you and Ivashkov are getting pretty serious but can he handle something like this? He gets pretty unstable sometimes.' Once again Christian had taken the words out of my mouth, I liked Mia a lot too but we didn't know her that well, could she be trusted with something this sensitive and possibly world changing? And then there was Adrian, he was loyal and willing but I felt that including him in this information right now could put him in more danger, he was never particularly careful. And would he be able to avoid all the distractions in Vegas? Perhaps, for now, it would be better to keep him in the dark, for his own safety. Lying to him was going to be hard, especially when I was already trying to be on my best behaviour in another area. Once again Christian seemed to pick the thoughts right out of my brain.

'Belikov' he said, and I sighed, yes, Dimitri was an issue here. 'Look Rose, I don't exactly know what's going on here, Lissa won't speak to me about you two but you can't let whatever stuffs going on with him ruin this.' His face was kind, a departure from his usual haughty sneer. I knew he was right, there was nothing I could do about Dimitri, and so much that could be, that needed to be done, elsewhere. I nodded and waited for him to continue, keeping my eyes fixed firmly on the ground. I didn't want him to see the defeat in my eyes. 'Dimitri is going to go where ever Lissa goes from now on. I don't like it, and I know you aren't into this whole hero worship thing either, but he wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her and because of that I think we should tell him. He won't betray us, for her.' I felt the resentment twisting in my stomach as I remembered the adoring look of devotion Dimitri wore around Lissa, and the fact that Lissa didn't seem to care that he was hurting me so deeply he may as well have torn me limb from limb. But Christian was right, Lissa would never forgive anyone for betraying us, and he had helped me break out of jail, something I didn't quite yet understand. He'd also tried to stop the guardians from taking me that day in the cafe; we could trust Dimitri, even if I didn't like the reasons why.

I nodded again and Christian didn't press for an elaboration. He strolled back inside but I waited in the corridor, attempting to subdue the negative feelings that had sprung up before going back to bed. Just as I was about to call it a night, for the second time, Christian walked back into the hallway followed by a dishevelled Lissa and an alert Dimitri. 'Sorry to get you out of bed Liss but there's something Christian and I need to tell you.' I said, my face sympathetic to the fact she could hardly keep her eyes open. 'And Dimitri, you need to hear this too.' Christian added and I scowled before fishing the note out of my pocket. I handed it over to Lissa, her eyes scanned the page, her face, and the bond grew confused then angry. Dimitri was frowning as he read over her shoulder.

'No, this is a fake. Tatiana would have told me if this were real, which it isn't, my father would _never _do this.' She threw the note back at me and folded her arms protectively. Christian reached out and pulled her against his chest, he was looking over her head at Dimitri whose face was concerned at Lissa's distress. I had to fight down the urge to slap him before I spoke. 'I know this is hard Liss, and perhaps it's a long shot, but after everything that's happened with the council don't you think it's worth a shot?' She peeked out at me and her eyes were growing redder, I felt anger along with grief in the bond and instantly went on high alert. Lissa felt things more deeply than the average person, and I knew how much something like this could derail her emotionally.

'I don't know how exactly this will help prove your innocence Rose' She spoke quietly, regaining some of the composure and poise that made her even more regal. I felt through the bond that she wanted to prove my innocence more than anything and that this note had upset her more than anything. Without another word she swept herself back into the room with Christian following close behind. Through the bond she told me that she didn't want to believe any of this and perhaps she'd be more receptive after sleeping on it. To be honest I had expected more of a reaction, perhaps because she was so tired the full impact hadn't set in. I watched them walk back inside and leant back against the wall I'd occupied before.

Dimitri was looking at me and I turned to face him full on. 'Yes?' I asked sharply. He just carried on looking and I stood up straight 'Is there a fucking problem Comrade?' a part of me was shocked at how disrespectful I sounded, and the fact that I not just shouted but sworn at Dimitri who I was supposed to be keeping calm. His face displayed no emotion but he continued to stare at me. I took a step closer and looked straight into his face, something I hadn't been able to do since my rescue, it hurt too much. 'If you have something to say, say it. If not stop fucking staring at me and leave me _alone_. I didn't ask you to come here, and in fact I'd prefer it if you'd leave.' My voice was reaching a dangerous volume now and I heard movement inside the room. Christian stood at the doorway now disapproval coloured his features.

'Rose, calm down and go back to bed' he said, his eyes were a lot less gentle than his tone. I ignored him and faced Dimitri with an expectant look on my face. 'I'm here for the Princess' he said simply, his Russian accent curled around the words and I felt whatever control I'd been holding on to slip. 'Of course you are, your saviour, why on earth else would you be here. Well why don't you just fuck off? We don't need you. I don't want you here and I'm sure Lissa will get sick of this whole devotion thing soon enough.' I let out a big breath I didn't even know I'd been holding in, Christian had disappeared back inside but reappeared a moment later with Adrian. 'Rose,' Adrian started to say something but I cut him off 'You know what I wish Dimka?' I said quietly, my face still contorted with irrational rage, 'I wish you'd killed me in Russia, because whatever comes after this life has to be better than what's happening now.' Adrian took a tentative step toward me and placed a small silver ring on my finger before slowly backing away. At first all I could feel was the urge to punch Dimitri coursing through every vein in my body but slowly the feeling lifted, the anger turned to shame and I sunk back into a ball on the ground against the wall. I was shaking and Adrian leant down to me but Dimitri stepped forward at that moment. The two men I loved glared at each other for a few seconds before Dimitri spoke in a voice so cold it reminded me of when he was strigoi 'Give me a minute with her. We'll be in soon.' Adrian stared down at me and I couldn't meet his eyes, my outburst had hurt him too. Finally he turned and walked away muttering under his breath, and then I was left, alone with Dimitri, something I had longed for since his return, but now I was just plain scared.

**Please review, It would make my week :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone, thanks so much for reviewing the last chapter and I hope you're having as much fun reading as I am writing. Please keep reviewing and commenting, it makes my day :) It would be awesome to hear some of your thoughts on what you think will happen in Last Sacrifice so let me know. I love talking about it as well as writing!**

'Rose?' his voice wrapped around me and I felt helpless. 'Has this been happening a lot?' his voice was so gentle, so much more so than the way he'd spoken to me every other time since he returned. I risked looking up and felt myself drowning once again, his eyes were full of concern and it confused me. I wanted him to either love me or have nothing to do with me; this wasn't making it any easier. 'Is that how you really feel? Do you really wish I'd killed you?' He pushed me again for an answer but I couldn't talk, he was scared that he'd made me this way and in part he had. He had promised to be there and help me if this happened and he wasn't, he didn't want to be and he never would. I had to suffer with this on my own, barely controlling it and always on the verge of crossing into darkness.

'I want to live' I said quietly, I knew he'd heard me because I felt him relax slightly; he sat down across from me. 'I just have trouble controlling it, and everything that's happened hasn't really made it easier.' He knew I was referring to him being strigoi and then coming back and not wanting me anymore. 'Maybe Adrian can help?' there was a slight edge to his voice that, if I hadn't known any better, I would have thought was jealousy. 'No, he can't. He has enough on trying to keep himself sane.' That was true, I worried about Adrian and the effects of spirit sometimes more than in Lissa, Adrian was still using dangerous vices to numb his pain. I started to stand but Dimitri pulled me down and his hand on the bare skin of my arm felt like fire and ice burning me. I snatched it away but remained sitting, he also seemed startled by the effect of our touch and I revelled in the fact that I wasn't the only one affected. 'I don't want to fight with you but I need to say this. I'm not trying to be spiteful so please, please listen.' He eyed me warily but indicated that I should carry on.

'I know that you said that you don't feel the same way about me anymore, and I get that. What you went through, wow, it was epic, and I only saw it happen, it actually _happened _to you, I can barely imagine. But, before you changed, you promised you'd be there for me, that you'd help me if things got too bad, I gave my whole self to you and it just seems like it never could have mattered to you that much, you're just stomping all over the best memory I have, the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. Lissa may have brought you back from being strigoi but you brought me back, that night in the cabin. I know it isn't the same, you were dead, and I was just crazy but I would have done something awful, like kill Jesse or Ralf or something and you stopped me from doing it so in a way it's similar, or it feels similar to me.' I took a deep breath and he opened his mouth to respond but I cut him off. 'I know how you feel ok, I get it, and I'm trying to move on, but I'll always love you, I can pretend I don't but I just will, that kind of love just doesn't go away at least not for me, not the way I feel. Maybe you felt differently back then to how I did and I read the signals wrong, I don't know, I just don't know.'

I wasn't sure if any of that had made sense because Dimitri stood up and walked back into the room without a backwards glance. I felt my already broken heart fracture once again. What I had said was the truth, I loved Dimitri so much it hurt, it consumed me, and it was driving me mad to have him be so indifferent. I didn't cry, I simply stood and walked back into the room, sure to deadbolt the door behind me before slipping into the foldout with Adrian and wrapping my arms around him, kissing his bare shoulder and settling in for what was sure to be a sleepless night.

I awoke to sounds in the kitchenette and a quick check of the bond told me it wasn't Lissa, I rolled over enough to see Mia pouring mugs of coffee and a glass of juice which quickly got me out of bed. My eyes were still half closed and so I allowed the smell to guide me. 'Morning' I managed to yawn before settling down on a breakfast stool and taking a large gulp of the juice she handed me, I never drank coffee. 'Sleep well?' Mia asked before reaching into a box and grabbing two chocolate glazed donuts. I nodded and my eyes widened as she handed me one and I smiled, juice and donuts was possibly the perfect breakfast. 'How'd you get these?' I asked incredulously. 'I went down to the restaurant downstairs; Dimitri said I'm least likely to be noticed. Not that I saw any Moroi or Dhampirs down there.' She seemed a little put out by the fact that hardly anyone would notice her absence. I also guessed she probably worried about her father, since her mother had died last year it was just the two of them. Dimitri was nowhere to be seen, believe me, if he'd been there it would have been the first thing I'd notice on waking up. But he wasn't and I glanced around checking for a sign of him. Mia seemed to guess my thoughts which irked me, was I becoming that easy to read? 'He's in the shower' she said knowingly and without judgement. I nodded my thanks before glancing back towards Adrian where he slept sprawled on his back oblivious to the waking world around him.

'Morning ladies' Christian walked out of the bedroom then scratching his bed hair and yawning. He looked at me and indicated with his head that Lissa, back in the bedroom, wanted me. I jumped off my stool feeling infinitely more energised after inhaling the juice and donut.

Lissa was curled up on her side fully dressed as I entered the bedroom. A check of the bond told me she was still calm but sad, very sad. 'I believe you' she mumbled, turning to face me as I perched on the edge of the unmade bed. I smiled sadly at her 'I'm so sorry Liss, I really am.' She nodded thanks to my concern and raised herself up into a sitting position. 'It's ok, I mean, this could really help the Moroi move forward in a new direction and the Dhampirs would get more of a say if I were allowed on the council.' I nodded again; she was always so up for putting the good of people before her, it made me want to be a better person.

'Christian told me what happened last night...'she was upset mostly about that I found out from her thoughts; the illegitimate half sibling was something she'd accepted grudgingly but had come to terms with. The fact that she was hurting me was worse because she couldn't control it. 'I'm so sorry Rose. I'm going to try so hard to figure out how to heal this darkness out of you, I swear I will.' I smiled a grim smile and rubbed her back to keep her calm. 'Don't worry Liss, the charms work great, I just forgot to keep it on last night and I snapped but Adrian gave me a ring and I calmed down. I'm fine honestly.' I managed to rearrange my smile so it looked genuine and carefree which reassured her a little. I still couldn't believe how quick she was to believe my lies and silently thanked the one way nature of the bond.

'Dimitri' Lissa said, that one word held the power to both elate me and destroy any morsel of happiness I'd felt upon waking up. 'Christian told me what you said to him, I thought I told you not to upset him.' Her voice was reproachful and the urge to storm out was rising in my chest, I checked to see that the charmed ring Adrian had given me was still in place. 'I thought that was only at Court so no one was afraid of him' I mumbled. Opening my mouth too wide could result in my saying something I'd regret. 'He's been through a lot Rose can't you understand that and just be his friend.' I felt hot tears stinging my eyes now, who was she to tell me how to feel. I'd been conditioned all my life to know that Moroi lives came first and that our happiness and freedom came second. To tell you the truth I was sick of it, I'd protect Lissa as long as I lived, but forgoing having my own happiness was just too hard. Now I had to protect Dimitri from my feelings as well, everyone was against me.

Just then I heard Christian shout us from the living room, we ignored him and Lissa sent compassion and sympathy through the bond, she reached out to hug me but I evaded her arms. 'Lissa, Rose!' Christian shouted again. 'What?' I said exasperated knowing he could hear me without yelling. 'You _have _to come see this. QUICK!' Lissa and I exchanged wary looks before darting into the living room. Christian, Mia and Adrian were all crowded around the small TV set staring at the images on the screen. The local news was on, and the screen was dominated by pictures of one male and one female teenager, the heading flashed 'Missing Persons' above them. The teenagers in the pictures were Lissa and Adrian. 'Oh shit!' Christian and I exclaimed at once.

**Please comment/review/personal message me with your thoughts, ideas and anything else relating to Last Sacrifice xxxxxxxxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone, wow I just cannot seem to stop writing, you may think I have no life but really I'm just writing imbetween studying for my end of year exams at Uni. In Australia our academic year is from Feb - November so that we have a nice long summer holiday, which I plan to use for reading Last Sacrifice and a few other books I have piled up and waiting for me. I'm about to start reading 1984 by George Orwell and have just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusac which is amazing, I highly suggest you read it. **

**Don't forget to comment/review/message me. It brightens my day more than you can imagine.**

Christian and I exchanged looks of fury, worry and a whole host of other emotions before he sat down next to Lissa and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Adrian looked helpless and I didn't need a bond to tell me he was thinking about booze and cigarettes, it was his coping method. Nevertheless I felt responsible for him and hated that this was happening to him, I was either hurting him or putting him in danger or embarrassing his family, I definitely was not good enough for Adrian Ivashkov.  
Just at that moment Dimitri exited the bathroom, his hair damp and tussled hanging around his face, his face was expressionless as he looked at me but quickly turned worried as the tension in the room hit him.  
'What's happened?' He said, braced for an attack.  
'Someone at court has put out a missing persons report for Lissa and Adrian on the TV.' Mia spoke as the rest of us were just too stunned. Dimitri however didn't look surprised. 'It was only a matter of time; they're two of the most important royal teenagers in America.' When he put it like that it made sense. Lissa was the last Dragomir and Adrian was the great nephew of the Queen, they wouldn't just sit back and forget about them.  
'This is going to make things difficult though, keeping hidden. Especially in Las Vegas, there's so many Moroi.' He was right again as reluctant as I was to admit it.

After we'd all cleaned up, and Dimitri had gone down stairs to check out while the rest of us went to retrieve the car from the basement without being seen, we set off. Dimitri had anticipated that, with light to medium traffic it would take us about seven more hours driving to get Nevada, and from there we would have to find a safe place to hide 'Moroi Most Wanted' as Adrian was now referring to himself and Lissa.

After an hour of driving I went back to sit with Lissa on the back seat where her and Adrian had a number of silver objects they were attempting to charm as powerfully as possible so that theirs, mine and Dimitri's appearances would be changed using compulsion. 'How you doing?' I asked, the bond told me she was fine, just concentrating, but she'd hidden things relating to depression from me before and I didn't want to take the risk. 'Fine, just finishing up a few more charms and then I'll top your ring up with spirit.' She was happy from using all the magic, it just felt so natural to her, and I was glad after last night's escapades that my ring was getting topped up. I did not want to lose control again.

After making a quick pitstop to use the bathroom and stock up on chips that Christian and I managed to devour in about five seconds flat we were on the road again. Dimitri insisted on driving now and that Lissa and Adrian sat up back behind the tinted windows so they would not be seen. Also, I think Adrian's driving scared him a little. The Moroi were starting to dose off, exposure to sunlight made them tired and I knew that none of them except Adrian had slept well. I vacated the seat I was sat on so that Mia could spread out more and went to sit shot gun next to Dimitri.

At first he said nothing, keeping his eyes on the road and both hands firmly on the wheel; he only acknowledged my presence after I spoke. 'Dimitri?' he didn't say anything. 'Look, I just wanted to apologise for last night. I shouldn't have blamed you like that; it isn't fair after what you've been through. He nodded slightly at that, sensing I had more to say he indicated I should carry on. 'I'm glad that Lissa will always have you to protect her, especially if I'm not around anymore. You're the best guardian I know and she's lucky to have someone like you willing to protect her so fiercely. I know I can trust you to make sure she's ok.' If I die, I wanted to add but thought it was already implied and would just sound stupid. But it was true, there was a good chance Abe wouldn't be able to find who had set me up and eventually I would be found. I doubted after my little jail break they were going to give me a fair trial, my escape was pretty much a confession in their eyes.

Dimitri looked over at me a fraction before returning his full attention to the road, we weren't moving so fast, there was an accident or something up ahead slowing up the traffic while they cleared the road I assumed. 'Roza' he said, that one word felt like a bat knocking the air out of me. He'd only called me that once since he'd been back and the way his accent curled around the world was like music to my ears. 'I know I have caused you pain, but I don't know myself anymore, what I did to you, that was the worst out of all the heinous crimes I committed. I promised I would never leave you and that I would protect you from this darkness but I wasn't here' he spoke so quietly I had to lean forward to hear. 'Roza, I am so sorry if you think that because of the way things are now I didn't love you then. That isn't true at all, it meant more to me than you can imagine. But right now I'm relearning how to be myself and it's harder than I thought. But I'm sorry Roza, for Russia. And I'm sorry for now.' I found it hard to stop my mouth from hanging open like a cat flap right then. His speech had soothed something inside of me though, something that had been telling me I wasn't good enough for Dimitri, that he didn't want me because of me. He couldn't be with me because of what he'd been through, not because he didn't think of me the same. I let out a gust of air I didn't know I'd been keeping in and put a hand on his shoulder. He knew me well enough to know that this simple touch meant thankyou and I'm sorry all in one. I stood to head back to the back of the van and noticed Adrian sat staring at me. He was awake, and he'd heard everything.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again **** so, here is chapter 10. I can't believe how this story is coming together and I am so excited. Don't forget to review or comment or message me please. **

**The music I listened to while writing this was:**

**Your Hands (together) – The New Pornographers**

**Lenin – The Arcade Fire**

**You are the Blood – Sufjan Stevens**

**The Black Keys – Next Girl (They are my favourite band ever! I have loved them for years, wayyyy before Eclipse)**

Lissa was asleep next to Christian with her head on his shoulder. Adrian was sat on the seat in front staring at me. I smiled at him weakly but his expression didn't change, I sat next to him and took his hand. He turned to look at me once more and leant forward, better to whisper in my ear. 'Please don't make a fool of me Rose' was all he said. He had heard everything Dimitri had said and he knew how I still felt about Dimitri and as much as I tried that wasn't going away. What we Dimitri and I had once had was so pure and natural and magnetic and right. For me there was no denying it and I knew once for Dimitri there had been no denying it either, we were meant for each other. But his soul was irreparably altered and there was nothing I could do. Waiting for him would only cause me more pain because he wasn't willing to try. And plus, I had chosen Adrian and I wouldn't break that promise again. I kissed him on the cheek and whispered 'never' before leaning my head on his shoulder and drifting off to sleep.

I awoke to a barren landscape; the middle of the desert in the mid afternoon sun looked completely uninviting. The AC was cranked as high as it could possibly go. Midsummer in Nevada was not the greatest place for Moroi who had an aversion to sunlight and preferred cooler climates. My hand was still entwined with Adrian's as he slept with his forehead pressed against the blacked out window. Lissa and Mia were awake on the back seat playing snap on the back seat but still looking pretty out of it. Christian was in the front with Dimitri devouring a bag of chips he must have been hiding somewhere. I leant forward and snatched them out of his hand and before pointing out the horizon. 'Nearly there' I said, I was the only one who seemed excited about having reached our destination.

It was then that I realised why everyone was so sluggish, except Dimitri and me who were alert as usual. The Moroi hadn't eaten for at least two days, and when I meant eaten I meant drank blood. It was then that I hoped Lissa's spirit rings were coming along ok because it seemed we were going to have to break into the Witching Hour. I said as much to the group and was greeted by incredulous stares. 'Look, Dimitri and me won't be able to go anywhere with Dhampirs and Moroi, he's 6ft 7 and kind of infamous now, not to mention I'm a wanted fugitive. Lissa and Adrian are all over the news so they'll be recognised immediately. Christian could be recognised, who knows? He is royal after all. But Mia should be fine. No offense Mia' I added hastily, the last thing I wanted to do was upset Mia after all she'd done for me. 'None taken' she said without batting an eye, she was focused on our mission and taking offense wouldn't be getting in her way. 'But what do you propose?' she asked.

'We need to get you all into the Witching Hour.' I said matter-of-factly, it was the only Moroi owned casino in Vegas and so, as far as I knew, the only one with on hand feeders. 'How are those disguising rings coming along?' I called to Lissa in the back. She nodded and held up ten or so rings that she and Adrian had been working on. Picking one out and giving them to each of us she slipped the others into a plastic baggy and into her jeans pocket. 'Ok, so, Rose, yours is going to make you blonde, pale and freckly again and still Dhampir. Dimitri, you'll still be Dhampir, you'll appear shorter and middle eastern looking with a shaved head.' Dimitri gave a swift nod, his eyes never swerving from the road. Everyone else this should alter your eye colour, hair colour. Christian you'll have a long nose, Adrian and I's hair will darken to the same colour as Christians and we'll both age to about 45, Mia your hair will be the same colour again but you'll appear only fourteen or fifteen. We'll appear as a family. Also Adrian and I will wear glasses.' She finally took a deep breath and looked around the group to make sure we all understood. 'Also, there is some compulsion in each of them to stop people from looking at us too closely or trying to have a conversation. Now put them on and we'll check to make sure they work. We all did as she asked and I had to stop myself on choking with laughter when I looked at Christian's nose. Lissa beamed and it was infectious, I was so proud of her yet I still worried that all of this magic was going to come at a price. At least Adrian had been able to do this sort of magic as well and the responsibility wasn't all on her.

We reached Las Vegas about twenty minutes later and it was just like I remembered, even down to the butterflies in my stomach. We'd worked so hard to get away from our world and now we were going straight into the belly of the beast. We agreed not to stay at the Witching Hour, far too dangerous and instead booked into Caesar's Palace, hoping we'd blend in with the mass amount of tourists crowding the lobby. We got a suite and left an imprint of one of Abe's credit cards at the desks before depositing our bags and coming up with a plan. The Moroi decided they could wait until morning to feed and so didn't have to worry about acting on our plan before sundown. There was an abundance of Strigoi in a place like Vegas, something we knew all too well.

'Ok' I said, 'does anyone know where the feeders _are_ in the Witching Hour? Asking for directions is going to draw more attention to us than is necessary' I said before Adrian popped up, of course he knew. 'They're near that bar that we drank at last time, a little unmarked side door, and they take names down when you enter' He said. It was becoming obvious that having Adrian on this leg of the journey was invaluable. No one knew Vegas like Adrian Ivashkov, but now we had the problem of coming up with alias's. 'No non royal family would have more than one guardian' said Christian 'and even then they'd have to be pretty well to do, not every royal family has even one.' That was true and Christian knew all too well. 'We'll have to look the part' Adrian added and we all listened. Well to do royals who frequented Casinos and such were his area of expertise. 'What do you suggest?' I asked knowing where this was going. 'We're going to need clothes; designer and Lissa will have to wear diamonds. The people on the door are trained to spot those things; the more wealthy you appear the more you'll look like you fit in.' I felt Lissa through the bond, her excitement lifting noticeably and was evident from the grin spreading across her face. 'We need to go shopping!'


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi everyone, thanks for the great reviews and comments :) In answer to one of the comments the reason I posted 3 chapters in 9 hours was because I got totally swept up in the story and could not stop! Plus I just finished Uni for the year and so I'm enjoying having nothing but free time. **

**I hope you enjoy, this chapter isnt the most eventful but hopefully I'll post another one later today, let me know what you think so far xxx**

Shopping with Lissa was something I had enjoyed more than anything when we lived in the human world but now it didn't hold the same appeal. It just meant working harder to make sure we went unnoticed and with the large group of us it wasn't easy.

Dimitri and I easily slipped into the roles of guardians as we accompanied Lissa and the others while they bought shoes, clothes and accessories. Mia, who had been practicing with guardians for a while helped out by near guarding with me, she really wasn't into shopping anymore, and Dimitri walked a little behind as far guard.

Abe's cash and credit cards had certainly come in handy because Lissa insisted on being thorough in our disguises. She picked out an incredibly grown up twin set and designer jeans for herself, a casual light weight Ralph Lauren blazer and khakis combo for Adrian, Christian was decked out in Khakis and a polo shirt while Mia was dressed up like a little doll, much to her dismay, in a polka dot dress. Adrian already had a Rolex so he the only other thing he needed were some designer loafers that cost more than about seven whole guardian uniforms. The only thing left was Chanel glasses for both Adrian and Lissa and some Tiffany earrings. I found this all a tad excessive but Adrian insisted that the Moroi working at the Witching Hour would be trained to spot subtle shows of wealth, and to my surprise he was backed up by no other than Dimitri.

When our shopping spree was finally over, and we'd managed to pull Lissa away from the Barney's shoe department, we headed back to the hotel to avoid being caught out past sundown. The last thing we needed was a Strigoi attack, especially when the Moroi were weakening by the hour from lack of blood. After Lissa insisted on everyone trying on their clothes we ordered room service.

Dinner was a solemn affair due to the sluggishness that the Moroi were experiencing from lack of blood. Lissa, Mia and Christian had all lived on little to no blood at some time or another and so weren't fairing so badly, but Adrian was a whole other matter. He'd never had to go without blood or live on a limited supply and was proving to be downright irritable. I caught him more than once heading over to the mini bar and my sharp disapproving looks were met at first with scowls before he decided to ignore me and fix himself some concoction or other that involved lots of ice.  
This along with the tiredness and short temper I was feeling growing in Lissa through the bond put me in a foul mood and so I decided to call it a night.

The sleeping arrangements were much the same as the previous night however I wasn't really up for smelling Adrian's booze soaked breath all night so I pulled some of the blankets off our bed and set up a makeshift bed on the couch. The rest of the group had gone off into their respective bedrooms except for Dimitri who had offered to take the fold out couch situated directly across from where I was now dozing off. He exited the bathroom where I assumed he'd been getting changed dressed in pyjama pants and nothing else; he stretched before settling down with one of his western novels.

'Any good?' I asked, suddenly in this proximity to him not feeling so tired. He looked up a little bit surprised, I guess he'd assumed I was sleeping.

'It's ok, I think I've read it before though' he said before lifting it up so I could get a proper look at the cover. It was the book he'd been reading in Siberia when he'd kept me captive. 'Yeah, I think I recognise it.' I said quietly whilst giving him a tentative smile. Trying to be his friend felt awkward and unnatural I realised, as if by being so polite and cordial to each other we were going against nature.

Sitting up on the couch I suddenly felt more awake, there was a burning desire flooding my body and I had no idea where it had come from. Dimitri must have sensed a change in the atmosphere because I saw his body tense. 'Rose...' he cautioned. _Christian_. Oh crap, not again. The feelings were now coming quite clear and they weren't coming from me but from the bond. I managed to shake off any feelings of lust that lingered on my face and walked over to the bathroom to splash water on my face. I looked in the mirror and groaned, was this how my life was going to be from now on. On the run and alone with people I couldn't safely spend time with? I was always getting pulled into Lissa's romatic interludes, something I resented her for and which was just fuelling the general feeling of resentment that was growing towards her every day. Dimitri, who I loved with my whole soul, who I could never get over because he was a part of me ingrained so deeply that this situation was causing me physical pain. Adrian, who I loved but who I could never love the way I loved Dimitri, I felt as though all I would do was hurt him because I couldn't be the way I was supposed to be.

With these thoughts I curled up on my couch and floated off to sleep, thankful for the reprieve from my own mind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, thanks again for the reviews **** please please please keep them coming! **

**Whilst writing this chapter I listened to Boy and Bear – Fall at Your Feet, Crystal Castles – Not in Love, Kanye West – Runaway and Katy B – On a Mission**

'Are we totally sure this is the only way?' Dimitri said looking anxiously around, except he wasn't Dimitri. Lissa had done an excellent job with the charmed rings and none of us were recognisable, even to each other. After a good night's sleep, a huge breakfast with more bacon than I could ever dream of and a new spirit ring from Lissa I was feeling a lot better and even managed one of my signature eye rolls directed at Dimitri.

'This is nothing, believe me' Christian said as we finally reached the Witching Hours front doors. Dimitri and I were dressed in our black and white but the rest of the group were fully decked out in their new clothes and the doorman didn't bat an eyelid as we walked into the lobby. There weren't too many Moroi around at the moment, It was mid morning and most Moroi living outside of Court and the academies lived halfway between a daytime and nocturnal schedule, they wouldn't be up for a few hours however as we neared the bar from last time, me in front with Lissa and Adrian, Dimitri bringing up the rear, I noticed a Moroi working behind the bar. Without hesitation we walked over to the door to the right of the bar and walked in. I glanced around and took in all of the possible exits.

There was a tall desk, podium thing that a tall Moroi stood behind, a clipboard in her hands. She looked Lissa and Adrian up and down and I felt Lissa give a quick burst of extra compulsion to plant in the woman's mind that they were somewhat regulars. The woman's face grew a little confused before she straightened herself up. 'Hello again' she said, mostly sure that she had seen this family before. 'I'm so sorry; could you remind me of your last name Sir? I've had a complete mind blank.' She'd clocked all the designer goods and knew that these Moroi were wealthy, hence her chipper attitude I assumed. 'Ivashkov, Alexsandr Ivashkov' He said flawlessly.

We had decided to go with the name Ivashkov at the last minute, it was the most popular Moroi royal name and Adrian said there were at least a dozen Alexsandr's that he knew of alone. What better place for us to hide than within Adrian's own family.

The woman checked her clipboard again before motioning for us to follow her. We entered a plush waiting room with crimson chairs lining the walls. 'If two of you would like to wait here while the other two follow me we've got two people available right now and then you can switch' she smiled brightly, mostly at Adrian. 'Come on darling, lets you and I go first' Adrian took Mia's hand and led her to the door way which the Woman was holding open for them. I was surprised at how serious he was taking this, and doing a great job might I add. Dimitri made as if to follow but the woman held up a hand. 'There's no need for you to follow, there are guardians in there for safety already and not much room.' She spoke to Dimitri and me but didn't look directly at us, it was clear she thought of Dhampir's as being beneath her and I tried not to scowl.

The time passed slowly and I felt Dimitri next to me relax slightly as Lissa reappeared when Christian and she had had their turn. Lissa and Adrian thanked the hostess before turning to leave. 'Hold on' a voice came from behind us; we all turned to see an elderly man peering at us through his ridiculously thick spectacles. His hair was totally grey but his eyes the brightest blue I'd ever seen, he had been tall in his youth I imagined but now he was almost bent double over a walking stick.

'Christian?' We all froze. The man was peering at Christian intently, though it didn't look like Christian at all. 'Sorry sir, this is my son Joseph.' Adrian said gently before attempting to usher Christian along. The man kept staring at Christian and to my dismay Christian seemed to be staring back. Adrian gave him another nudge which seemed to make him come around but the man continued to stare. 'I could have sworn...' he mumbled more to himself than anyone else. The hostess gave an apologetic before taking the old man's arm and guiding him towards one of the waiting chairs while we sped out of there faster than I've ever seen Adrian move.

Once out on the street, and away from the prying Moroi eyes, in the sunlight we all turned on Christian. 'Who the hell was that?' I asked which earned me a reproachful look from Lissa. I ignored her and carried on staring Christian down, he still looked as though he were in shock which quickly made my anger evaporate.

'That's my great grandfather' Christian finally managed to get out after a few more minutes of staring into space. We all stared at him flabbergasted. 'Aunt Tasha and I lived with him for a while after my parents... died' he hesitated on the last word. We all knew what had happened to his parents. 'I haven't seen him for a year or so, not since the last time I went home, but he's a cool old guy.'

'Christian, how on earth did he recognise you?' I asked, still slightly flabbergasted by this strange exchange. The rest of the group were looking at me with a worry in their eyes so strong I felt it was a slight overreaction. I highly doubted that this old man was much of an issue or that anyone would believe him, the hostess from the Witching Hour seemed to think he was senile or something.

'Because my dear,' an almost whispered voice came from behind me 'compulsion doesn't work on me'. Christian's great grandfather stood behind me, the same mischievous twinkle glinting in his eye that existed in Christians. My mouth was agape, surely we needed to run, to not so much as speak to this man, we were on a mission and we _couldn't _be found. It would mean death for me, possibly for Dimitri also and imprisonment for the rest most likely. I turned towards Dimitri, surely he would know what to do, he always knew the right thing to do, and he had been the one teaching me, instructing me, guiding me for so long and now I needed that guidance. Before I had the chance to act on any of the half formed plans circulating in my mind Lissa spoke, hesitantly and almost in a whisper.

'Why doesn't compulsion work on you sir?' she asked and as soon as the words left her mouth I felt the answer form in her mind and saw it dawn on Adrian's face.

'Because my dear, I'm a spirit user.'

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to write a review or leave a comment**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone, this could be my last chapter for a couple of days because I'll be at work, and possibly seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 for the second time. Please review and comment **** it makes my day I swear. Hope you're all having a great weekend. **

Our suite had a dining room, living room, kitchen and two bathrooms so it didn't feel to invasive bringing Christian's great grandfather back, but I had suggested we talk in a more public place for the time being. Only one of us knew this man and the rest of us seemed to have forgotten we were in hiding. Lissa was over the moon of course as she always was when making a new discovery about spirit and that good mood lifted my spirits also. Adrian was pensive but I could tell he was also happy about having someone else to talk to about spirit, after all, this guy was in Las Vegas, maybe he was more like Adrian than Lissa.

We all sat around a table in the restaurant of some hotel or other to begin what was sure to be a lengthy discussion. Christian still seemed a little in shock but he was laughing and joking with his great grandfather as if no time had passed. Perhaps it was only me that thought it was strange that we had been trying to hide our identities and whereabouts and now we were welcoming someone, basically a stranger to all of us but Christian, into our inner circle. Dimitri's face seemed displeased, but only because I could read him so well. Mia seemed disinterested, neither spirit nor Christian's family held any meaning or interest for her. I could tell she thought that even speaking to this man was risky, as did I.

'So, you're a spirit user, Lord Ozera?' Lissa asked when we were all seated with food in front of us. The elderly man was sat slightly straighter than he stood and was still all twinkly eyes and mischievous grins.

'Please dear, call me Isaak' he said, waving the protest forming on her lips away with a withered and wrinkled hand. 'Yes, I am a spirit user, as are you my dear and as is this handsome young fellow to your right' Izaak Ozera looked back and forth between Lissa and Adrian while they nodded. Through Lissa's eyes I could see that Izaak's aura was a bright gold, the same as how she saw Adrian's and there were also the same flecks of warmth she got when she looked at Christian's aura. She seemed to be forgetting that Avery Lazar had lied with her aura and that Izaak could be doing the same.

'Do you know of any other spirit users Izaak?' Adrian asked, straight to the point which was unusual for him, he glanced over at me and I realised that he was a little more suspicious of this old man than he'd been letting on. 'Of course dear boy, though a few of them have been institutionalised or are in prison now, few of us remain. However I do believe you Princess, and of course Lord Ivashkov here, will have helped now end the mental instability that occurs with young spirit users just specialising. Maybe this mental health issue can be fixed early on.' He seemed genuine enough, and he was Christian's great-grandfather after all, but his flippant way of speaking about the psychological side effects of spirit put my teeth on edge. I felt Lissa thinking of the prison which we had helped Viktor escape from and the insane prisoners she'd known were spirit users without even going through the door and I willed her not to mention it. I wasn't sure if Dimitri and Mia knew what we had done and I sure as hell didn't want Izaak Ozera to know. I was already in enough trouble with the law.

'Now Christian my dear boy,' Izaak said taking his great-grandsons hand 'how is my darling Tasha, I've been hearing she's making quite the impression at Court. She sent me a letter about your, er, disappearance you know, she's rather worried.' It did seem like Izaak just cared about his great grandsons well being, more than he cared about their being other spirit users at the table, I suppose when you're that old its less exciting, especially as he seemed to have met so many before. But to Lissa that was the most exciting thing, and although she was happy Christian had run into his great-grandfather she wanted to talk more about spirit.

'I know Grandpa, believe me I'd give anything to be able to call her but I can't right now. We're trying to stay hidden, so could you maybe not tell her you've seen me?' Christian was sheepish asking his great grandfather this I could tell, he was close to this man and hated to make him lie, or to lie to him. 'We have some stuff to do and the Council can't know about it, ok?' Izaak nodded solemnly.

'Of course Christian, I trust your judgement. You know I've always said the Council are a bunch of fuddy duddys who wouldn't know a good idea if it bit them on the ass!' we all stared, shocked for a second before bursting out laughing, even Dimitri managed a smile before returning to his usual composure. 'But, Christian, I hear your doing something a little more illegal than the Council would like' he said, flashing a wink in my direction, 'but I agree you couldn't very well leave this young lady to rot in jail now could you.'

After much more banter Lissa attempted to steer the conversation back to spirit. 'Izaak, I was wondering, is there anyone else you know in this area, a spirit user I mean.' She spoke so tentatively, practically brimming over with excitement. 'Well there's Robert Doru, but I haven't been in contact with him for a while' Adrian and Lissa both flashed me a look before returning their attention to Izaak. 'Otherwise there is a young boy whose homeschooled by his single mother about thirty miles from here, he thinks he hasn't specialised yet but I know he's a spirit user. He hasn't been exposed to your little revelation yet, being home schooled and all, so he hasn't put two and two together.' Lissa was excited, but she hadn't made the mental leap that I just had, along with Christian and Dimitri by the looks of it. Single mother, home schooled boy, Las Vegas area. This could very well be Lissa's half brother.

'Sir? 'I asked, hoping I wasn't, as a guardian, speaking out of turn. My worries were unfounded however as Izaak turned towards me with a twinkly eyed smile 'would you be able to tell us where this family lives?' Christian and I shared a knowing look before Izaak answered.

'Why of course I can my dear, I happen to be good friends with the boy's mother, and of course I knew his father, did some business with him before he died' I silently begged him to stop speaking, he was obviously detached from the Moroi world somewhat and didn't realise that this was a _huge_ secret, my prayers went unanswered however. 'Of course the Princess here knew him too, better than I ever did' Izzak said smiling his cheeky Christian like grin at Lissa, she looked confused and he seemed to realise his mistake for a second but deciding to plough on anyway. 'Your father dear, Eric Dragomir, the boy is your half brother.' Oh dear, it seemed Lord Izaak Ozera was going to be somewhat of a loose cannon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Please review guys, they're what keep me going!**

'I'm really starting to see where you get it from' I whispered to Christian next to me who I then could tell was resisting the urge to flip me off in front of his great grandfather.  
Lissa understandably looked shocked and I could sense through the bond she was telling herself that she'd known this was coming at some point and not to get upset. I looked around the table at Mia's surprised face and then at Adrian, if Lissa looked shocked then Adrian was downright flabbergasted.  
'I'm sorry sir, what?' Adrian asked but Izaak seemed to have grown bored with that conversation and had taken to arranging packets of sugar by colour. 'Rose?' Adrian then turned on me and I looked down 'you knew about this?' I nodded, and I felt Christian next to me nod also.

I looked up to see Adrian's eyes move from me and Christian to Dimitri whose stoic face gave away nothing. Adrian's head spun back to me, 'did he know?' His voice was a lot sharper than I'd ever heard it 'did he?' Some of the restaurants patrons started to look over then in surprise. I nodded and Adrian shot up and stormed over to the bar.

I stood also as if to follow but Lissa laid a hand on my arm across the table and I felt her sending calming thoughts through the bond, _give him a minute_. I slowly sank back into my chair and felt everyone's eyes boring into me. _What do I do? _I felt Lissa ask through the bond. 'If you could give us a name and an address or a phone number it would be much appreciated Lord Ozera' I managed to stammer out all the while trying to keep Adrian in sight.

'Well my dear of course you can, but I hope you won't keep my Christian away too long, we have much catching up to do' his words were directed less at me and more at Christian who pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and took a pen from Lissa before giving them to his great grandfather.

'I won't grandpa I promise, but the sooner we go speak to this kid the sooner we can all go back to normal' I was surprised how gentle Christian was towards this man, a far cry from his usual sarcastic, witty self. Izaak scrawled down a name and address in shaky hand writing, Mia and I began to stand, ready to go and retrieve Adrian from the bar where he was no doubt knocking back shots like the pro that he was.

Christian seemed to want to say goodbye to his great grandfather without an audience so I left Mia, Dimitri and Lissa at a nearby table and went off in search of Adrian. The bar was a huge wrap around affair and I set off on a lap but saw no sign of Adrian's artfully messy hair, still as precise as ever even in this disguised form. When I returned to my starting point, with no sign of Adrian, I began to worry. Had he just left? Had he been taken? Christian and Lissa were still talking to Izaak and Dimitri, as always, was keeping a close watch on Lissa. Mia caught my eye and walked over after a hasty goodbye to Izaak.

'Where is he?' She asked. My worry was mirrored in her face. I shook my head and scanned the room once more, hoping I'd simply missed him though I knew that wasn't likely. Christian, Lissa and Lissa waved once more to Izaak as he walked outside before strolling over to Mia and I. Christian and Lissa were excited now, chatting away but Dimitri picked up on the mood immediately.

'Rose, where's Adrian?' He asked, his eyes scanning the room as mine were continuing to. I shook my head again 'I don't know. I've followed the bar all the way around, he's not there. Would you mind checking the bathroom?' I asked Christian, Dimitri probably wasn't the best choice when it came to herding Adrian along, especially if he was in a mood. Christian nodded and I walked over with him to the male bathrooms while the rest stayed by the bar in case Adrian returned. I waited outside while Christian went in and I could faintly hear him calling Adrian's name before he reappeared, with no Ivashkov in tow.

'Fuck' I said under my breath. The rest of the group had joined us outside the bathrooms. 'Where the hell is he?' Dimitri walked over to the bar, asked the bartender something before turning back around and walking back to us. 'The bartender said he saw him leave with two guys, one tanned and dark haired, the other shorter and with blond hair.' My head started to swim; the guardians must have gotten him. 'How did I not see them, I can't believe I let this happen. I should have told him from the beginning.' I pushed my hair back and strode over to the entrance. The Moroi would struggle to keep up with my fast pace, especially as we were in sunlight, it made them tired and uncomfortable. But it wasn't the Moroi I was worried about catching up with me. I sensed him even before he touched me. He grabbed my arm and I spun me around to face him.

'Rose, you can't just run off now, we have to make sure the rest of the Moroi are protected, especially if Adrian's been protected. We can't let them take Lissa as well.' There was a pleading note in Dimitri's voice, and the anger that I'd directed on myself now turned towards Dimitri.

'Dimitri, if they find me I'm going to be executed, if they find Lissa they'll just question her. She's the last Dragmoir. Have a bit of perspective. I have to find Adrian because of you! Because of you he ran off and now he's been taken! And if they do anything to hurt him, so help me not even Lissa will be able to help you.' I pulled my arm free and set off once more only for him to grab me again. 'No! Get off me! I don't want to see you or speak to you or be near you! You are driving me insane Dimitri and now Adrian's gone, the _only _person who was here for me is gone because of _you_ so just let me find him!' I managed to break free again and set off into the street, losing Dimitri in the sea of tourists.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for all the comments and reviews, wow, I am so glad you like this story. And I am so so so so so excited that the excerpt for Last Sacrifice should be released this week according to Richelle Mead's blog. **

**Keep commenting and reviewing please it means the world to me and keeps me writing.**

It took me around half an hour to see the error of my ways. I had checked a dozen hotel bars and two 'gentleman's' clubs to no avail. I couldn't find him. I once again felt an appreciation for guardians who had no bond with their charge. Adrian could be anywhere and I had no way of figuring out his location. I walked back to our hotel in the mid day sun, sweat forming on the back of my neck and making my hair stick.

Over and over in my head I was turning over what might have happened. I couldn't see how anyone could have recognised him unless, like Izaak they were a spirit user, if anyone disguise should have been impenetrable it should have been Adrian's and Lissa's, compulsion was second nature to them. It couldn't have been Strigoi, it was the middle of the day, but then we had known humans to work with strigoi before. No. He couldn't have been taken by strigoi, I couldn't face that.

I felt through the bond that Lissa and the others had headed back to the hotel in case Adrian showed up there, seeing them was going to be like a slap in the face and I didn't know if I could face it. Suddenly I remembered the pager that Adrian had in the car to keep in contact with Abe. If anyone could help track a missing person it was Abe, and he would know if the guardians had in fact gotten him. I set off at more of a run, only becoming still as I rode the elevator to my required floor and then I was off again. I hadn't been given a key card for the door so I banged until Dimitri let me in.

'Where's the pager?' I asked, slightly breathless and totally keyed up. Dimitri looked confused for a second but Lissa appeared behind him, disapproval on her face, holding the small black box shape in her dainty hand. Dimitri went back to the chair I assumed he had vacated to open the door and Lissa pulled me aside.

'Rose. What the hell is wrong with you?' She hissed. Even though her voice was quiet I knew the rest of the room could hear, especially the Moroi. I flinched back, she rarely chewed me out like this but it was becoming more and more frequent. 'You _cannot_ keep doing this to Dimitri, he's going through enough without you being petty. You're going to make him worse you know and you'll only have yourself to blame when he doesn't even want to see you at all let alone be your friend.' I felt a small amount of sympathy trickle through the bond and took a step back from her now softening eyes. I could tell she hated to hurt me like that but she felt she needed to protect Dimitri. I was sick of this whole situation, I didn't want to be pitied by my best friend, or looked at in the condescending way she was now. I knew that what I'd said to Dimitri was wrong, I actually hadn't meant it to that extent but I was mad, and worried, and guilty.

I looked at the pager, attempting to figure out how to send a message to Abe. I finally managed to send _zmey, HELP! _Before I sat down on the least comfortable chair in the suite for what I presumed could be a long wait. Any movement I heard quickly brought me to attention and I imagined Adrian walking through the door a little worse for wear after a big drinking session but otherwise safe.

The pager started beeping on my lap and I snatched it up, Abe's reply read _Safe_ followed by a phone number. I darted for the door and felt someone following me, it wasn't Dimitri, and I'd be able to sense that, so I ran for the elevator hoping they wouldn't be able to catch up. Christian slid in just before the doors closed.

I groaned 'ugh go _away_'. I folded my arms and tapped my foot waiting for the elevator to finally reach the ground level. 'Rose, what are you doing?'

'Finding Adrian! None of you seem to care that he could have been taken by the guardians or strigoi or anyone.'

'Of course we want to find Adrian. We've been trying to figure out who could have him or where he could have gone since you ran off. I just want to help with whatever you're doing now ok?' I stared him down for a minute before nodding, if there was anyone I wanted on my side now it was Christian.

'Abe sent me a phone number to call him on so I'm going to find a pay phone to call him on.' Christian nodded and we rode the rest of the way in silence. It took a good fifteen minutes but we finally found a pay phone outside of some huge casino, it was on the grimy side but I really didn't care. As I dialled Christian leaned in closer so he could hear what was being said. On the third ring Abe picked up.

'Hello?' I breathed a sigh of relief at hearing Abe's voice, some part of me saw Abe as being safe and it soothed my agitated mind. 'Abe! Adrian's missing!' I managed to spit out, almost biting off my own tongue in the haste. 'I know, I know. But don't worry we've got it all under control.' Under control? How could he have this under control?

'Abe, just tell me what's going on I said through gritted teeth. I was not in the mood for deciphering codes here. 'The guardians have him' I groaned inwardly but was pleased it wasn't strigoi. The guardians wouldn't hurt Adrian Ivashkov, much anyway. 'Some guardians found him in the alley behind the Witching Hour about an hour ago; he'd been mugged and beaten up.' I glanced up at Christian and saw the worry on his face. 'One of my guys is in Vegas now trying to get him freed but I wouldn't wait around for too long in Vegas darling, it's only a matter of time before they find you too.'

'What about Adrian though? Is he ok?' I could barely ask what if these muggers had done some permanent damage, Adrian had no idea how to fight, and if he'd been drinking, well, he'd probably just acted as a human punching bag.

'As far as I know he's fine, just a little bruised. They'll question him and hold him in jail but he won't say anything. Plus, I think I may have a lead...' Just then my time ran out, I checked in my pocket for coins as did Christian but neither of us had any. I slammed the phone back on the hook and stormed out of the phone booth before falling to my knees, but it wasn't my pain and fear I was feeling just then, It was Lissa's.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everyone, so some people thought my last chapter was a little boring. The reason it was so short and not much happened is for two reasons. 1) I feel like Rose is going through so much emotionally and I wanted all of her feelings to be explored without a heap of action being distracting. 2) I sometimes feel in fan fiction that not enough detail or time is taken with the stories and it makes them not flow and kind of jumpy so I wanted to take some more time with this story and make it more believable.**

**As always, please review, they're what keep me going xxx**

I felt fear burning through me, through Lissa, I could barely stand up my body was shaking so hard. Christian tried to help me too my feet all the while asking me what was going on. I managed to speak one word 'Lissa' before Christian practically dragged me up and sprinted off pulling me by the hand. I managed to block out the bond slightly or at least see through it clearly in order to find out where Lissa was and what was wrong.

When we were almost at the hotel Lissa was focused enough for me to slip into her mind and get a clear picture. She was stood in the hallway outside our suite; Dimitri was fighting off guardians as was Mia with her water power. Lissa was pressed up against the wall, she wanted to help so badly but she couldn't. Dimitri was starting to get overwhelmed and Mia had taken a knock to the head and was staggering back towards the wall, a guardian grabbed her and began carrying her towards the fire escape.

'No!' she screamed, she couldn't let them take Mia, she'd convinced Mia to come in the first place, and she was her responsibility. That's when it happened; the magic welled up in her so strongly she couldn't fight it even if she'd wanted to. She would not let these guardians take any more of her friends, especially since we were all innocent and victims of royals looking for a scapegoat.

'_Stop' _she commanded, it took a moment for some of the guardians to respond but in the end they all did as she had ordered. '_Fall to sleep, don't wake up.' _The guardians fell to the floor, Mia fell along with them and Lissa rushed over to help her up while Dimitri checked for possible exits.

Christian and I were approaching the lobby when we spotted guardians in and around the entrance, dressed in civilian clothing. To anyone else they would look just like tourists but my trained eyes saw them for what they were.

_Rose, don't come back to the hotel, you and Christian go find a car and I'll tell you where to meet us._ I stopped in my tracks and pulled Christian back. I recounted what Lissa had just spoken into my mind and he nodded before pulling me into a nearby souvenir shop.

'They might know what we were wearing, especially you in your black and white' I nodded before pulling some _Las Vegas_ t-shirts in male and female variations off a shelf as well as some tennis shoes and shorts for me. We hastily paid; lucky Christian had brought some cash out with him, and ran back out onto the street and in the opposite direction.

I silently cursed the one way bond. I stayed tuned into Lissa while we ran down the crowded street and hoped Dimitri had guessed there would be guardians in the lobby. They'd come to retrieve the Dragomir Princess, that wasn't a half assed type of mission. Dimitri had led the girls into one of those elevators with two doors, one that exits into the hotel and a service entrance. They took the elevator to the lowest floor available and exited through the service door into a hot room that smelt of detergent. This was the laundry, but luckily it seemed to be free of guardians.

Mia was still groggy after she took the hit to the head and Lissa kept a tight grip on her hand, she didn't dare to heel her yet in case it took too long or she needed her power for something more pressing. The laundry was empty except for a few housekeeping ladies huddled in a corner taking a coffee break and watching a small television. If they notice Dimitri, Lissa and Mia walk past they didn't say anything and Lissa felt relieved, the last thing they needed was to be held up with questions.

'Are you ok?' Dimitri asked Lissa, a worry on his face so pure that, if he'd been looking at me I would have melted. She nodded and gave Mia's hand a squeeze before they walked on. Dimitri couldn't have known where he was going but Lissa thought he assumed, as did I, that there must be a staff entrance or somewhere leading to the back of the building somewhere. Dimitri's instincts were right and a back door situated next to an industrial sized washing machine appeared as they rounded a corner.

'Lissa, can you see any aura's on the other side of this door?' Dimitri asked. It was a great idea and I was glad he'd thought of it, by using her 'aura vision' Lissa would be able to see if anyone was on the other side of the door. Adrian would have been able to do it more effectively but thinking of him made my heart hurt.

'There's no one there' Lissa said confidently, her aura abilities had grown a lot recently and she was sure she could rely on them now. Dimitri nodded before opening the door and checking outside himself, when he was sure it was clear he ushered the two girls out and they walked down the side of the building, while he kept his eyes vigilant over the whole alley way. Lissa wasn't sure where this alley led and so she kept her aura vision up and was prepared to compel quickly if the need arose, she felt Mia's hand tighten around hers before letting go and she knew that Mia was ready to use her water power as well, she'd regained some of her strength.

I had no idea where Christian was leading me, and since I'd been in Lissa's head I wasn't exactly paying attention. I managed to take in my surroundings after retreating back to my own mind to get my bearings. We'd left the main drag and were walking past some seedy looking buildings, a far cry from the glitz of the casinos we'd left behind.

'Where are we going?' I asked Christian who was still striding along in front of me; the crowds were gone now so I didn't feel like I would lose him. The sun was still out in all its glory and I was surprised Christian wasn't getting tired; perhaps his recent feeding had helped.

'We're going to find a car, Grandpa told me there's some places in this neck of the woods who have a sort of don't ask don't tell policy.' I had to laugh at that, Christian's great grandfather seemed as though he may have been involved with that sort of a thing at one time or another.

When we got to the place it was a lot easier than finding a car in Alaska, except this time we didn't rent, we bought. The car was a four wheel drive with seven seats, not that we needed that many, not since Adrian was gone, but it would be helpful to have room, especially if we were driving for a while.

Seeing as I was the one with the licence it looked like I'd be doing the driving here. All novices are required to get a driver's licence for when their Moroi need to go out so I'd been taught while still at school. It was assumed that Moroi's families would teach them how to driver when they graduated or not at all, Moroi with guardians didn't really need to know how to drive.

Lissa sent me an address through the bond and after asking our new 'car dealer' we realised it was only a five minute drive away. Christian jumped in to the passenger seat next to me and we set off, with Christian commenting on my driving at every possible chance. As we pulled into the address that Lissa had sent me I realised we might not be able to come back for a while, the guardians new we'd been here, they were probably searching our abandoned hotel room and everything we'd left, luckily Lissa had had the hindsight to grab that bag Abe left with the cash, cards and fake ID's. But a part of me felt like leaving Las Vegas was like abandoning Adrian.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone, hope you all had a great weekend **** here's my latest chapter, I hope that it's not too boring, It's more an explanation of what happened to Adrian but I felt it was necessary. **

**Please review, every time my Blackberry gets an email review I'm so freaking excited so keep 'em coming.**

'Get your feet out of the back of my chair Christian so help me I will break your face' I snapped from the driver's seat. Christian and Mia were sat behind me while Lissa slept spread out on the back seat, she'd used a lot of compulsion today not to mention the fact that she wasn't used to being out in the sun for as long as she was. Dimitri sat next to me, flinching whenever I turned a corner and muttering to himself as I overtook pretty much every car we came across. I just wanted to get out of Nevada and away from the guardians plotting to bring us down as fast as possible. They already had Adrian, a thought that made me feel physically sick; I wouldn't let them get the rest of us.

We had decided that we couldn't go hitting up Lissa's half brother when there were guardians swarming the city looking for us. We also decided that going anywhere that had a connection with our families was out, we'd greatly considered staying at Christians parents old house that they'd owned before they'd turned and been killed, or even one of the many holiday homes Lissa's family had owned around the country. We were scared to leave the country because Abe's passports might not be as up to scratch as they looked.

It was beginning to get dark but we decided not to stop for the night. The Moroi could easily sleep in the back while Dimitri and I continued to drive. We stopped after about five hours of driving in a place called Ely. We needed to refuel the car and ourselves, not to mention how badly I had to pee. Luckily the gas station we stopped at had ample bathroom facilities meaning Christian and I didn't have to fight again over who used it first.

One Burger King drive through later we were on our way again and I quickly fell asleep, feeling safe whilst Dimitri drove steadily. The familiar feeling of an Adrian dream wrapped around me and I grew excited, anxious, relieved.

This time we were in the middle of a street, the street was empty and there were no cars to be seen. 'Little Dhampir' Adrian smiled and I felt it soothe me instantly, he looked ok, of course that was no indication of how he really looked in the waking world.

'Where are you? Have they hurt you? How are we going to get you out?' My words came out garbled with anger and fear for him. What if they were torturing him to get information or something, I could never forgive myself. Adrian walked over and enveloped me in a hug and making soothing sounds.

'What happened?' I asked again, desperate for information, the more information we had the better chance we had of rescuing him. He took a deep breath, and I could tell he was about to launch into a rather long story.

'Well, Little Dhampir, after my little outburst in front of Lord Ozera I went over to the bar, as I'm sure you saw.' I nodded; yes I had seen him walk over to the bar. 'I sat down, had a couple of drinks and started to feel a little light headed, there were two men drinking next to me and they started telling me _don't fight it_ and stuff like that. I started feeling worse and so I tried to get out of there thinking maybe they'd slipped something in my drink. I was trying to warn you Rose, I tried to get your attention but I couldn't remember where you were sat, god damn wraparound bar' His nostrils were flaring now and I could practically see the anger rolling off him.

'I managed to get outside but it was a back door leading out to an alley, the two guys caught up with me and well I don't really remember much else after that. I started to wake up and saw they'd taken my wallet my watch, and my ring. I was undisguised and drugged in a seedy alleyway and couldn't remember where I was supposed to be so I just walked out onto the main street and soon enough the guardians were on me. I must have walked past the Witching Hour or something.' I nodded taking all of this in, from what I gathered the muggers must have been human so the rings really did work as well as we thought they did but I still felt horrendous for letting this happen to Adrian.

'So where are you now? Have they been questioning you? Are you back at Court?' He laughed slightly at my persistence and it irked me slightly. I was trying to _help _him here.

'I'm still in Vegas, yes they questioned me a bit but not really about you.' I looked confused and he gestured for me to take a seat on a bench by the side of the street. 'Well when they found me, beaten up and what not with no money or anything they asked me why in was in Vegas, who I'd come with and what not. I said I'd come on my own after Aunt Tatiana's death and the imprisonment of my girlfriend. I'd been laying low at court since the trial and it payed off, no one had seen me around so it was easy to lie that I'd been gone before we broke you out.

They patched me up and told me to wait until they arranged for transport back to Court for me. But I heard them speaking amongst themselves, they were saying that the Dragomir Princess and Belikov must be nearby because Lissa and I were so close, I told them that I hadn't seen either of them while I'd been there but they didn't listen. After an hour or so they said that someone who was staying at the Witching Hour said he'd seen Dimitri and Lissa at Cesar's Palace, maybe someone highly resistant to compulsion? I don't know what happened next because the guardians left, and only a few stayed behind to watch me.'

'Yeah, they found Liss, Dimitri and Mia at the hotel but Lissa used some pretty bad ass compulsion on them and managed to get away.' I said, a little bit of pride welling up within me.

'Hmm, did they take their rings off or something?' Adrian asked, possibly trying to figure out how they'd all be recognised.

'Possibly, I think maybe someone at the hotel may have seen them a different time, like when we were checking in or something, we haven't been wearing our rings all the time and your two faces have been plastered all over human news aswell.'

Adrian nodded before answering again. All this thinking was very different from his usual self 'Yes well that's where they went when they left me then, they're still not back actually.' I had to laugh slightly at that.

'Yes, well Lissa put them to sleep, for a long time.' Adrian smiled at that too. 'Now they know that Lissa was here, with Dimitri, so they'll know you were lying. They won't be so nice to you now.'

'No, I suppose not. But don't worry, I have a feeling someone will be here to get me soon enough.' My face must have given away my confusion. 'Abe, he sent me a message through someone who's _on his team_ as he put it. I won't be here for long Little Dhampir, remember to keep that pager on you ok?' And with that the dream dissolved as did my own dreams, I awoke to tension in the car, everyone was awake, and everyone was listening to a news bulletin blaring from the radio, a bulletin about Dimitri and me.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi everyone, this is a slightly shorter chapter but it's very important because it takes the story into the next phase. I hope you don't find it boring what with the lack of action but it's really vital to my overall plan. **

**Please review. I love you all and thanks so much for your kind words xxx**

Dimitri's face was completely white as we listened to the news reader describe a twenty four year old six foot seven Russian male with dark chin length hair named Dimitri Belikov and an eighteen year old five foot five dark haired girl with brown eyes and a tanned complexion named Rosemarie Hathaway. We were described as dangerous and any information regarding us would be met with a reward.

'Ok, so, we'll just have to wear the rings a bit more often, no problem' I said, knowing full well that those rings hadn't helped when Dimitri, Lissa and Mia had been attacked. Christian jumped and kicked the back of my seat again. 'What now?' I started to ask but my question was answered as the pager, which I had entrusted to Christian started to beep and buzz. He handed it to me, confused by what he referred to as _archaic technology_. The message was the name of an exit off the motorway which I hastily looked up on a Nevada street map that was stuffed in the glove compartment. The exit was around 40 miles away which I explained to Dimitri.

'Are you sure it's safe?' Dimitri asked. He obviously didn't trust Abe, or thought maybe someone else was sending the messages. Whatever it was I had to find out, and soon, otherwise we'd be driving around forever with no purpose, and no way back to the place we really needed to be. 'It's a bit strange that Abe just happens to be a few miles away' Dimitri said pointedly. I was immediately on the defensive, it was one thing for me to question Abe's motives but I felt like the person Dimitri was really suspicious of was me and my judgement.

'Abe's on his way to rescue Adrian in Vegas ok, he sent Adrian a message, and Adrian just told me in my dream' If the dream walking thing was new to Dimitri he mentioned nothing of it, Lissa had probably told him all about it while he stared at her in awe. I mentally slapped myself, the last thing we needed right now was me thinking awful thoughts about my best friend.

We drove the rest of the way in near silence and with no more stops; it would be risky to show our faces until it was absolutely necessary. Mia and Christian were now the only ones who the whole country wasn't on the lookout for. Dimitri took the right turnoff and slowed as we caught sight of Abe, his minions and a sleek black Range Rover.

I bounded out of the car before it had barely rolled to a stop and practically sensed Dimitri's eyes rolling. Abe was barely out of the car before I launched into a line of questioning. 'How are you getting Adrian out? Where are you taking him? What did you find out about who framed me?' etc. Abe looked shocked for a second before regaining his usual composure.

'What are you talking about Rose?'

'Adrian, he just appeared in my dream while I was asleep and he said you sent a message through one of your guardians to say you were coming for him.' Abe looked at me as if he was seriously worried about my sanity. 'Lissa' I shouted 'Lissa, can you please tell Abe that dream walking is real' I crossed my arms over my chest and waited while Lissa explained, a lot more patiently and eloquently than I ever could.

'Ok, I believe you about the dream walking, but I never sent any message to Adrian, none of my _team_ is down there at the moment. In fact I just spoke to one of my guys at Court and he said that he hasn't heard anything about Adrian being found in Vegas.'

'Well he's been taken by guardians, and those same guardians then attacked Lissa, Dimitri and Mia at our hotel this afternoon. There were half a dozen, and then more with Adrian and guardians and Moroi in the lobby of the hotel and on the street, that's a big operation, especially by guardian standards. You're guy must have the wrong information' my voice was defiant, there was no way those guardians were there by coincidence, it would have taken planning, research and the order would have come from above.

'Believe me Rose, if the order had been given I'd know about it. I have _lots _of loyal people at Court and outside of Court.' I didn't doubt him for one minute but his words worried me.

'Well if the guardians didn't order this then who the hell has Adrian and tried to kidnap Lissa and kill Dimitri and Mia?' There was silence as the group took in what I said, I felt anger well up in me, I was sick of this, why couldn't my life just be a little bit simple, for once.

'Rose, I promise you we will find him' Abe said, giving me a small pat on the shoulder before becoming business as usual. 'Now, about what I tried to tell you on the phone earlier. I think we may have a lead about who framed you.'

My head shot up instantly, I hadn't even thought about that since Adrian's disappearance, a testament to how much I cared about Adrian if you ask me. 'What sort of lead? A get-me-completely-off-the-hook kind of lead?'

'Quite possibly.' There was a twinkle in his eye, and then it was as if I were psychic. There had been a niggling in the back of my mind since we'd begun the conversation. What had Abe said? He had lots of loyal people, I'd heard that before, from someone just as dangerous as Abe, but in a distinctly twisted way. At that moment it all became clear to me and when Abe spoke I felt myself saying the exact same words 'Viktor Dashkov'.

Viktor Dashkov had framed me for murder, tried to capture my best friend and had kidnapped my boyfriend. That ass hole was about to pay, once and for all.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi everyone, I know it's been a few days since I updated, I've had some rather severe writers block and it was a friends 19th birthday so it's been non stop parties/dinners/trips to the city for the past week.**

**I hope you like this, I was having some difficulty directing the story where I wanted it to go for the next section (I don't think thats the right word to use haha) but I think this is ok. **

**The Last Sacrifice excerpt comes out today, whose excited?**

**As always feedback is so appreciated words can not convey how happy it makes me. Thanks for reading xx**

We knew for certain the guardians at Court were not aware of Adrian's capture when news bulletins the same as the ones on the television in the first hotel flashed onto the plasma television screen in one of Abe's living rooms, this one designed for evening general, something that made me roll my eyes and stifle a scoff every time it was mentioned.

Abe had left us with a swift 'Don't worry, I'll get him back', funnily enough I believed him, if there was one person I could trust to deliver it was Abe, something I never would have said a few short months ago. We headed up north to one of his 'many houses', this particular one situated in Seattle and was owned under one of his 'many' alias's.

Tad, the Moroi who had delivered Sydney's webcam to me on Abe's orders back at Court, was acting as a sort of host until Abe came back with Adrian. If he didn't come back with Adrian I didn't know what I'd do, I had to believe in Abe right now or it was likely I would tip over the edge again. Tad pointed out the homes main features in matter of fact fashion. There was a guest house in which three feeders were housed, a kitchen, two dining rooms, three living rooms and four bedrooms and a bathroom all on the lower level. The second floor held six bedrooms which we would be using all with en suites a fourth living room and two studies. This all left me in sort of a daze and I was vaguely aware of Lissa hustling me upstairs to our quarters.

I noticed Christian looking more sullen than usual as we turned off the tv and recalled a few moments on the drive where he had been scowling at Dimitri, could it be that I wasn't the only one jealous of the new connection between him and Lissa? I quickly put that thought out of my mind in favour of a hot shower and quickly found the bedroom door which had a post it stuck on the dark wood. It read _Rose_ so I entered and managed to strip off and get under the water in around five seconds flat.

Feeling more relaxed, not mention a zillion times cleaner I wrapped myself up in the white fluffy robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door and wrapped my hair in an equally fluffy towel. I exited the bathroom revelling in the smell of expensive shampoo. I stopped, sitting on the plush looking bed was Tad, he seemed like a nice guy and everything but I didn't really enjoy seeing him in this sort of awkward situation. My awkwardness appeared not to faze him and he smiled at me while looking me, and my white robe, up and down. I pulled it tighter around me ensuring nothing was going to escape and tried to arrange a natural smile on my face.

'Hey, er, what are you doing in here?' I asked, not wanting to come off as rude. It may be on the orders of his boss but this guy was still harbouring two wanted fugitives and the Dragomir Princess. Tad looked amused at how uncomfortable I was and he began to bother me even more, I looked over at the door and saw it was slightly ajar to my relief. Not that I couldn't take this guy if I wanted to but I was wearing a robe and nothing else, not to mention that it was part of my training to check all exits.

'Just wanted to see how you were settling in and everything' He indicated for me to sit on the bed with him but I declined. No way was I getting any closer to this creep, I silently hoped my bedroom had a lock on the door, that last thing I wanted was him sneaking in at god knows what time. 'I'm fine, thanks for your concern'. He stood up and strolled over to where I stood near the bathroom door and I braced myself ready to attack. He lifted a finger to trace the collar and I flicked his finger away with my hand taking a step back as I did so.

A cough in the door way alerted me to the presence of a third party, I looked over only to see Dimitri, his face an emotionless mask but his eyes burning with something deep, he spun on his heel and I heard him marching down the stairs. 'I think you should leave Tad' I said to the disgruntled Moroi who reluctantly did as I asked.

After throwing on some clean clothes, a pile of them had been left on the bed, I started downstairs in search of food or news. Surely Abe must have contacted the house by now, and if not I would have to page him. I stopped in my tracks however when I heard a commotion coming from one of the living rooms, I forgot what this one was named, probably something pretentious.

I walked through the open door to see Dimitri stood against the wall, his face slightly horrified and Lissa standing in front of him her face full of pleading and, as I checked the bond, I realised her thoughts were filled with anger, guilt and confusion. 'Ok Christian, spill.' I said, hands on my hips and tapping my foot on the hard wood floor. Christian looked uncomfortable, a feeling I was used to after a huge outburst once the adrenaline wares down. 'I don't think he's treating you right, that's all ok.' My mouth fell agape and I felt Lissa's sentimentality get the best of her for a second, she was a sucker for Christian's sensitive side but for the moment my own astonishment was more prominent. '_What,_ are you talking about?' Lissa rolled my eyes at my brash tone and took a seat on the white leather couch. White leather, honestly!

After Christian said nothing for a moment or two and so Lissa stepped in. 'Oh Rose, isn't it obvious. Christian thinks of you like a sister, and he thinks Dimitri is mistreating you and that's making him angry.' Then she turned to Christian. 'Which is stupid, do you have any idea what Dimitri has been through, you cannot blame him like this Christian, it's just not fair and it puts extra stress on him, he already feels guilty.' Christian and I tutted at the same time and we locked eyes for a second and I hoped he saw the silent thank you on my face.

'I know what he's been through Lissa, honestly I do and I don't know he's being as strong as he is but Rose saved him' Lissa opened her mouth to retaliate but Christian carried on 'You actually _saved_ him yes I get that but Rose dropped out of school, went to Russia and has risked her life, her freedom and her sanity for you and for him. She deserves more acknowledgment from him, more respect and what they had before he was turned, that deserves respect too.'

I had never known Christian to be so emotional, nor so gallant and I felt honoured that he would stick up for me. I also hadn't realised anyone was aware of the strain between me and Dimitri. I didn't want everyone to think I was pining over him, which I kind of was.

'Christian, its ok, I love Dimitri, I think I will always love Dimitri and I would give anything, _anything, _for him to be the way he was. For him to want me the way he did. But he doesn't, or he can't, I don't know. And this whole Lissa worship thing is hard, I'm jealous.' I felt Lissa's stricken feelings through the bond but carried on none the less; it would help to clear the air. 'I'm jealous and it isn't getting easier, but I think it will. I love him, and Lissa, so much that as long as they are happy and well I'll be ok. It'll always hurt, but maybe it'll stop hurting quite so much.' Christian nodded and I could feel Lissa's apologises forming in her mind before she voiced them. She walked over and hugged me, her silence comforting and I knew that I should have come clean sooner, keeping things in never ended well.

Once again I sensed him before I saw him, it was as though I had personal Dimitri radar built in. How much had he heard? It occurred to me that I didn't care, yes I wanted him to be happy and live his life but not at the expense of myself, I was glad if he knew how I felt. And by the look on his face he did. The desperate burning look of sadness was on his face again and I spared a moment of guilt before I realised why he was stood there.

'Abe called?' I asked immediately rushing towards the door.

'Not exactly, they were attacked. Abe's been badly injured, they're on their way back here, and yes they have Adrian. They say there's something wrong with him.'


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, so did everyone read the first chapter of LS that was released last week? What did you think?**

**As always reviews and comments are much appreciated. **

'Something wrong with him?' I asked, unable to control my voice now. 'What do you mean something wrong with him?'

'He's been tortured, they found him in an abandoned house, Adrian managed to dream walk to Abe when he was on the way down and that's how they rescued him. But there were guardians and Moroi using magic, some of Abe's men died and Abe himself is badly injured. They said there isn't anything physically wrong with Adrian though, he's just mentally not right.'

Mentally not right? What did that mean? I pushed Dimitri aside and ran to the kitchen phone before realising I didn't have Abe's number. I looked around and saw Tad standing in the doorway, he was the last person I wanted to ask for help but in this case I'd have to make an exception.

'What is Abe's phone number?' I demanded, if I sounded rude I didn't actually care, this guy was a creep and I needed information desperately. A small smile started playing around his mouth and I shuddered, he was even creepier than I'd originally thought. He tilted his head slightly towards the fridge on his lift where a phone number was secured with a futuristic looking magnet. I strode over and snatched it up all the while keeping a look of disgust plastered on my face, I would be sure to suggest Abe fire this douche bag as soon as he returned.

The phone rang only once before a voice I did not recognise answered. 'Um, hello, this is Rose. May I speak to Abe please?' There seemed to be some whispered conferring on the other end before the voice returned. 'I'm sorry Rose, Abe isn't well enough to speak right now. I expect we will be at the safe house by the morning though.' And with that the line was disconnected. I swore under my breath before calling out to Lissa and dodging a lingering Tad.

Lissa hurried around the corner alerted by the urgent tone in my voice. 'What is it?' She asked; worry on her face a mirror of my own. 'They'll be here by morning, but Abe is severely injured he couldn't even speak on the phone.' I could feel myself stepping into dangerous territory. Revenge was boiling in my blood and whispering plans in my ear. It was one thing to frame me for _murder_ but to hurt my family, even to attempt to harm them, well, that was something else. Because Lissa and Christian and Adrian and Mia, and yes, even Dimitri were my family. And I would not let some psycho keep using them as torture toys.

'I don't like that face' Lissa said as Christian and Dimitri entered the room. I scowled before replying 'What face?' Lissa almost smiled at that but before she could answer Dimitri stepped in, his face stoic as usual. 'It's the face you get when you want to rip someone limb from limb without thinking it over first'. Christian opened his mouth to protest but Lissa waved him down, she seemed to think that Dimitri was getting more used to being around me, and she also seemed to think that given time things could go back to the way they were. I hadn't known these were her feelings on the issue until now and I had to admire her positivity, even though I knew it was completely displaced.

With the news that Abe and Adrian were safe, at least physically and for now, we called it a night and each went to our respective bedrooms. Mia had been asleep since we'd gotten to the house first off and I spared a moment of sadness for her, she shouldn't be going through this, it wasn't her fight. Despite my worries I fell asleep almost instantly and was once again surrounded by the familiar feeling of one of Adrian's dreams, except it wasn't right. I got a feeling that something wasn't right, as if someone was watching me other than Adrian who was sat on the ground a metre or so away. We were in the middle of a huge corn field, the sun was shining but it didn't fell uncomfortably hot on my skin, it just made me feel warm yet I could not shake off the feeling of someone or somet_hing_ watching me. I walked over to Adrian's hunched frame but he did not raise his head, even when I placed a hand on his shoulder and sat down across from him. This was when I started to really worry, Adrian always had some pithy remark whenever he saw me.

'Adrian?' I asked, almost afraid to hear him speak, to prove that yes, something was wrong. The field in which we sat flickered and I instantly became on alert. That had never happened before, and I had been in a lot of Adrian's dreams over the past year that I'd known him. 'Adrian, what's happening in the waking world? Adrian?' Finally he looked up and the defeated look on his face scared me more than anything. Adrian, cocky, self important, witty, charming Adrian looked nothing like his former self. His eyes seemed to look at me but not see me, if that's possible. He returned his gaze to the ground where he sat and I felt his body go rigid as I took his hand. Something wasn't right here and as much as I hated to leave Adrian I had to wake up. I felt my mind was in danger, and perhaps this was what Dimitri had meant about Adrian's condition, there was definitely something wrong. 'Rose?' Adrian said his voice hoarse. I met his gaze and smiled slightly, what I hoped was a comforting smile. 'What are you doing here?' He asked, genuinely confused.

'You brought me here Adrian' I said, trying to sound as soothing as I could. How could he not know that he was walking my dream right now? 'This is my dream, your dream walking, remember.' His face grew afraid and gripped my hand tight. 'Rose. We aren't safe. You aren't safe, get out of that house. It isn't safe.' Unsure where this turn in the conversation had come from I went back to making soothing sounds.

'This is Abe's house; it's a safe house Adrian. Don't worry, we're fine and so are you now and we'll all be here together soon ok?' Adrian just continued to shake his head and I felt the dream slowly dissolve. The last thing I saw was Adrian's pained expression and even though I tried to hang on with everything I could muster I was taken back to the waking world.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi again, I'm really sorry I haven't been updating as frequently as usual. I actually started writing the last chapter I published (20) as soon as I published the one before (19) but I found that my recent exasperation with the male species was rubbing off on my writing and I wanted to stay as true to the VA style as possible.**

**Let me know what you think as always. Your reviews are what keep me writing.**

Instead of returning to my ordinary dreams, as often happened when I was 'released' from one of Adrian's dreams, I woke up with a start. Looking around me at the still unfamiliar room I felt a longing for my dorm back at the academy. It had been more of a home to me than I'd known anywhere else and its familiarity would have been comforting in such trying times.

Adrian's face was like a haunting image I just couldn't shake. I knew that theoretically we were safe here in Abe's house, and I knew that Adrian was safe now with Abe but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Something had certainly happened to Adrian to cause him severe mental stress; it also seemed to have caused problems with his spirit powers. He hadn't even known he was dream walking my dream which was strange; he usually took complete charge even down to the way I was dressed.

I couldn't lie staring at the ceiling with so much on my mind so I stumbled out of the ridiculously high bed and down stairs to the kitchen, silently praying that Tad was a heavy sleeper down in his ground floor bedroom. It wasn't Tad however who was stood in front of the open fridge, trying as silently as possible to extract all the ingredients to make what looked to be a particularly huge sandwich.

Dimitri had to almost double over to reach into the fridge because of his height. I stood and watched him for a moment, and I knew he knew I was there; he wouldn't have made a very good guardian if he hadn't sensed me. I was expecting him to be exasperated by my presence, to scowl at me or to simply ignore me and walk straight past and back to his room. He did none of these but carried on making his sandwich only stopping to ask if I wanted one, of course I did, I never turned down food. As he layered ham over tomatos and mayo etc I felt a presence behind me and I didn't need to turn around to know it was Tad. I could practically feel his eyes roaming all over my body, dressed in pyjamas that were a little tight over my ample dhampir chest. I ignored him as best I could and sat down at the kitchen table. Dimitri was staring at Tad, a look of disdain on his face that mirrored my own feelings toward the sleazy Moroi. Tad, with his duller observational skills was oblivious to Dimitri's eyes boring into the side of his head as he continued to leer at me.

'Rose, may I say the pyjamas I picked out for you fit just like I hoped they would' If my mouth hadn't been full as string of strictly adult insults would have streamed from my lips, as it was I had to settle for flipping him off. Tad sniggered, still oblivious to Dimitri's glare and possibly his actual presence. 'Sassy, I like it. It'll be all the more satisfaction for me when those pyjamas are on my bedroom floor.' _Crack._

Even with my heightened dhampir senses I only saw the punch coming as Dimitri's fist collided with the side of Tad's head. Poor Tad had no chance whatsoever and fell to the floor, his body limp and unconscious. He wasn't dead, no, guardians like us were trained to kill but we were also trained to incapacitate. And that was what Dimitri had done. He had punched Tad square in the face. Whether it was in my defence I didn't know.

Dimitri was leaning right past me as he leant over to check Tad, always the careful one. I could smell him that scent I used to know, used to love. His long arm was stretched out, almost touching me, so close it would be easy to be pressed against it. I tentatively lifted my hand and placed it on his forearm and I felt a thousand messages pass from me to him, and I knew he'd received them, because it had taken me this long to figure out what I now knew Lissa had known all along.

He was still Dimitri, and I was still Rose. Whether he was dhampir or strigoi we'd always been connected, it was inevitable and couldn't be destroyed. It was bigger than the two of us and I knew that Lissa had known it, maybe even seen it in him. He had needed time; time to come to terms with what he'd done. He had been punishing himself, and punishing me, linking me with his time as a strigoi and therefore feeling pain and guilt whenever he was around me.

Although I loved Adrian, and I did love him, I wasn't just in love with Dimitri. Some might call it a toxic relationship and maybe it was but I couldn't help the way I was pulled to him no more than I could help what happened next. Our lips met, and I heard him moan, a sound that held relief and sadness and pain and happiness all at once. All thoughts of Adrian were forgotten as the kiss broke and he pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes searching my face hungrily as were mine. I wanted to take in his every feature, drink it in because in my experience moments like this were always followed by something life changing.


End file.
